


Three Fates Entwined

by InkytheGhost



Series: Three - Medieval dt au [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Magic, Assassin Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Assassination Attempt(s), Battle, Blood and Injury, Clay | Dream Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Ducks, Enemies to Friends, Friends to Enemies, Gen, I'm Bad At Tagging, Internal Conflict, Knight Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Mages, Magic, Medival AU, Minecraft, My First Work in This Fandom, Near Death Experiences, No Romance, POV Alternating, POV Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), POV GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), POV Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Prince GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Swordfighting, Team Bonding, Weapons, dream team
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:03:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 36,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27688684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkytheGhost/pseuds/InkytheGhost
Summary: Sapnap is a warrior, desperate to prove himself on the battlefield.George is a prince, trying to run away from his role.Dream is an assassin, the best of the best, and his next target might just change his life forever.---Written by me (InkytheGhost), originally published on WattpadDisclaimer, there is no intentional shipping in here. Sure, there might be some unintentional homie love from time to time, but that's it. It's just me tossing around some angst confetti and trying to get their personalities on point.Don't steal my work :p
Series: Three - Medieval dt au [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2096922
Comments: 37
Kudos: 120





	1. Chapter 1

Sapnap was a warrior. A fighter with generations of ancestors that had served in wars for the kings. A melee combatant with much to prove.

So it was no wonder he felt embarrassed walking through the paved road of the small village he had stumbled upon, completely lost as to where he was.

None of the villagers paid him any attention. Perhaps it was because of the sword that hung from his belt, or the swooshing cloak that draped down from his shoulders that marked him as a foreigner, or maybe the fire emblem sewed onto it. The symbol of his family.

He caught a glimpse of his reflection in a mirror as he passed by it. Black hair, grey eyes, olive skin. A long white headband wrapped around his head, keeping his hair out of his eyes. He didn't know why he liked it so much, but by then, it was a part of him.

He kept moving. Maybe there was a bath house somewhere. He was in desperate need of a shower.

"You look lost, boy," an old man said as Sapnap walked past his fruit stand.

Sapnap stopped. Finally, someone was actually talking to him. "Yes, sir, I am. Can you tell me how to get to the castle from this village?"

The man arched a bushy brow. "The castle? What business do you have there?"

He shrugged. "I'm a fighter. I want to join the King's army."

"The king's army?" The old man chuckled. "Ah, you're looking to die in the war, are you?"

Sapnap could feel his expression darken as his mood changed from polite to something far from it. "To die in the war would be an honorable death, sir. One that would be a lot better than dying behind a fruit stand."

"I'd rather die here than with a painful wound ripping the life away from my lungs, you bovine boy."

"Oh, _bovine? _You're calling _me _a _bovine?_ What the heck is a bovine?"____

____

____

"A type of cow. Or in this case, it means a very dimwitted boy who is going to get himself killed."

"...I am not any less insulted."

By then, a crowd had gathered. Sapnap kept his eyes trained on the man before him that had insulted all the brave warriors in his family. It was clear that he had no idea who he was talking to. No idea that Sapnap's family, House de la Blaze, was the only reason that the village they were standing in still existed to that day.

"I'm going to join the army," Sapnap said through gritted teeth. "I don't need your opinion on that. Honestly, dude, all I asked for was directions and you throw all of _this_ at me?"

"You are a fool, boy," the man said, sighing dramatically and shaking his head. "Turn back! I warn you!"

"How am I supposed to 'turn back' when I don't even know which way is forward?"

Some of the people chuckled. Taking that as a good sign, Sapnap turned around to face them. "Can someone here help me? Please? I'm looking for the way to the castle?"

A few of them pointed to the east. "Oh, so I was _completely_ off course," Sapnap muttered. "'Follow the sun,' he said. 'It'll lead you to the castle,' he said."

"Be careful, young warrior," a woman said to him. "The path is riddled with thieves and assassins who would slit your throat in less than a minute."

"Cheery. I suppose I should get going, then."

"Oh no you don't," a low voice growled from behind him.

Sapnap turned around to face the old man, who was suddenly looking even angrier than before. "What is it?" he asked innocently.

The man pointed an accusing finger at him. "He is a thief! A liar and a scoundrel! Check his pockets, he has taken from my fruit stand!"

Sapnap glanced down at his outfit. His cloak, his simple white shirt and black pants, his longer black sleeves that covered his arms. "Uh... what pockets?"

"You have gone mad, old man," the woman said, shaking her head. "He is innocent. Go sell your fruit somewhere else."

"I saw him take my apples!" the man insisted, making a move towards him. Instinctively, Sapnap took a step back. "See? He's trying to run away from me!"

He raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, I just don't want some creepy old man feeling around my imaginary pockets for some imaginary apples."

The crowd jeered. Maybe he should stay in the village. The people seemed to actually like his sense of humor.

But no. He had business elsewhere.

The old man narrowed his eyes at Sapnap. "You are a good liar," he admitted grudgingly. "And you hide the apples well. But ill fortune will come about you, boy. You will meet your doom!"

Sapnap frowned, completely unconcerned about his words. "Gee, I didn't know you were a fortuneteller as well as a fruit seller. Do I need to pay for this prediction about my inevitable doom?"

"Laugh all you want," the man said, turning away from him. "But your line of fate is tangled. Bad things will happen."

The people watching laughed, but Sapnap stayed silent. His father had taken things like fate very seriously. The old man seemed serious as well, and slightly happier than before, as if knowing that Sapnap was doomed made his day much more tolerable.

His fate was _tangled?_ What did he mean by that?

"I should leave now," Sapnap said. "Thank you for the directions. I'm now _slightly_ less lost than before. You know, just _slightly."_

He pulled a golden coin out of his pants pocket (he really _did_ have a pocket) and flipped it towards the man. It hit him in the back of his head, making him wince slightly and turn around, rubbing the bruised area with a scowl. "What was that for?"

"It's payment," Sapnap responded simply.

"Payment for _what?_ And where did you even pull it out from? I thought you didn't have any pockets!"

Sapnap shrugged. "Oops. I lied."

He turned and started heading towards the east, where the castle was supposed to be located. A slight flick of his wrist made the apple he had taken fall out from his baggy sleeves, and he took a wide, satisfied bite out of it.

It was a nice village, sure, but full of people who didn't know their left from their right.

At least he got the directions he wanted.


	2. Chapter 2

George sighed and rested his chin on his propped up hand. Being a prince was boring work. His father was the king, so all he had to do was sit there and look important.

Sure, he had luxuries that others could only dream of possessing, but he didn't enjoy it. He'd rather give it all away for a normal life. 

It wasn't even a very comfortable role, either. His blue shirt and navy pants were the only articles of clothing that he actually liked, along with his white clout glasses, a joking gift from one of his few friends. But like his father, he wore heavy golden accessories and a long blue cloak with a simple design of a white rectangle with an embroidery of red. His family's crest. All in all, he felt like an over-decorated Christmas tree, about to topple over at any second.

His father sat next to him, wearing a cloak much his own. He had straight brown hair and brown eyes, with fair skin and a bushy beard. George had always been told that he looked his like father, and apart from the beard, that was true.

"No, no, the trade _must_ go through," his father argued with the nobleman in front of him. "There must be peace between our two territories. We have worked too hard for it to all go to waste."

"But, sire---" the nobleman began, but the king cut him off with an angry look.

"Just do it," he snapped. "Gather up the promised amount of leather and prepare it for shipment by midday. I don't want any more concerns regarding you to reach my ear, understood?"

"Yes, my Lord," the nobleman mumbled, bowing low and exiting the room.

George suppressed a chuckle. Watching his father impose his power on people who acted all high and mighty, only to get squashed down again, always managed to cheer him up.

The king sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He glanced over at George and frowned. "Are you _laughing?"_

"No," George said, perfectly straight-faced. "I'm not. Definitely not."

"You're laughing."

"No, I'm not."

"I _just_ saw you laugh."

"Maybe you saw wrong."

A slight smile floated onto his father's face. "I have to admit, it _is_ pretty amusing when it's not irritating me. But pay attention, George. Stop daydreaming all the time."

"I'm bored," George complained. "What is there to pay attention to? Nobles come in, complain, you complain back at them and tell them to stop complaining, and they carry out your orders and leave. There's nothing else to it."

"It _does_ seem very bland when you put it that way," the king admitted. "But you'll be getting your first swordfighting lessons today. That's interesting, eh?"

"I'm going to get stabbed," George said glumly. "I'm calling it."

"You're not going to get _stabbed,"_ his father said, his brow creasing slightly. "Injured, maybe, but not _stabbed._ You're over exaggerating."

"Am I? You've seen how the knights in your army duel. How many people don't have all ten fingers anymore?"

"You'll be fine."

"Sure. My body won't be, maybe, but _I'll_ be fine."

The king sighed again. "George, please. You're the prince. _My_ son. Nobody in their right mind would _dare _to hurt you. But someone who _isn't_ in their right mind _will._ That's why you have to take these lessons. I'm trying to protect you."__

____

____

George smiled, even though his heart wasn't really into it. "I know."

***

"The sword is an extension of your body," the instructor, a young man named Filens, said as he paced in front of George. "You must wield it with feeling."

"Feeling of what?" George asked. "Hatred? Vengeance? Fear of getting your arms sliced off?"

"Armor alone isn't enough to protect you," Filens continued, completely ignoring him. "There will always be a chink that will lead to your downfall. But if you have a sword and can _protect_ that chink, ensuring that nobody can strike at it, then you are as good as untouchable on the battlefield."

"What if I can't use a sword?"

"That's why I'm here to teach you." The knight fixed his eyes upon George. "Ah, good, you have a sword already. A sword is like a companion, a life-long friend that will stay by your side forever."

"So... like a pet?"

"A good sword can save your life," Filens droned on, brandishing his. The light gleamed off of the blade, reflecting into George's eyes and making him wish that he had brought his goggles with him. "You must treat your sword with respect, and in return, it will serve you."

"Sir, it's not alive, you know."

"Respect, young prince!" Filens lunged at George. "Now parry!"

 _"What?_ I don't even know what that is! You haven't taught me _anything!"_

George brought his sword up just in time to save his head from being chopped off and pushed back, putting some distance between himself and his very ignorant teacher.

"I believe in learning on the job," the knight announced, slicing in a downward arc at George before sidestepping his returning attack and moving his sword towards his undefended left side. 

George jumped away from the blade, but it kept coming. _This is it,_ he thought miserably. _Dead at the hands of a lunatic knight who has no idea what the concept of teaching really is. How embarrassing._

The sword stopped inches away from his blue shirt. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes.

"That'll be enough, Filens," the king said, his sword the only thing stopping Filens's one from piercing through George. "Tomorrow, I want you to go over the basics first before throwing my son into battle."

Filens bowed low. "Of course, sire."

As the knight hurried away, the king turned to George. "So, how was your first day of swordfighting?"

"I'm pretty sure I almost died," George said, rubbing his head. "Are you sure that Filens is a compatible instructor?"

"He is a good fighter," his father said with a chuckle. "He just does things in a way that is different than ours."

"Too different," George muttered.

"I must say, for someone as inexperienced as you are, you did a fine job of protecting yourself," the king mused, giving George a warm smile. "I was ready to jump in and save you, but it seemed like I didn't have to until the end."

"I wish you had saved me earlier," he grumbled. "I'm pretty sure that Filens is going to appear in my nightmares now."

"You can handle him," the king said. "Alright, George, I must get going now. The sun is setting, and I have unfinished business to attend to. Goodnight."

George watched as his father strolled away. "Sweet dreams."


	3. Chapter 3

Dream watched from the sidelines as two warriors battled against each other. It wasn't that entertaining, especially since both had been knights discharged from the army for either a lack of skill or a lack of self control. He would've rather taken up another task or dueled another assassin. Heck, he'd rather go into the ring and fight and unequal match than watch two under-trained fighters.

But of course, nobody would dare face him. He was Dream, the most feared assassin that bowed to no one. He _never_ failed a task, he _never_ let his target get away, and he _never gave up._

Dream adjusted the bandages covering his hand, pulling at them irritably. Without them, he'd probably bleed to death, but with them, he was so uncomfortable that he would've rather bled anyway.

A green cloak covered him, its hood pulled down over his masked face. People constantly asked him about why he chose to wear a mask with a friendly-looking smiley face drawn on it, but that stopped after he took care of the first few. Nobody knew what he looked like underneath the mask, and he preferred to keep it that way.

A cheer rose up from the crowd of spectators as one of the fighters managed to run his sword through the other. It had been a long match between two equally dimwitted opponents. As disapproving as he was, he had to admit that it was better than doing nothing.

"Our contestant has won again!" the announcer said as the former knight paraded around inside of the small arena. "He has a sword of steel, a mind of steel, and a deathly gaze of steel!"

Dream rolled his eyes, leaning his back against the hard stone wall. Clearly, the announcer didn't have much going on inside of his brain, either. The least he could do was find an adjective that wasn't "steel."

"Who dares to face him?" the announcer asked, a glint in his eyes. He pulled a bag out of his pocket and shook it. The sound of jangling coins filled the air, and Dream sat up straighter. "Here I have two hundred coins, given by generous donors, for the one who can defeat our champion."

 _Two hundred coins?_ A usual task only earned him a hundred, maybe a hundred fifty at most. A job worth two hundred coins was rare, and here was an idiot giving them away as if for free.

"Is anyone brave enough to step forward?" the man called. "No? Well, I suppose I'll have to keep these co---"

"I'll do it."

The announcers eyes lit up and swept over the crowd, looking for the one who had spoken. "Oh, a challenger? Brilliant! Stand up, and reveal yourself!"

Dream stood up, pulling his hood even lower over his face. His whole right side was still bandaged after his most recent task, which had him fighting a massive army alone, but he didn't doubt that, even injured, he could defeat his opponent without any problem.

"Well, well, well! Come on down, good sir, and face your enemy!"

It all sounded so exciting when the announcer said it like that, but Dream knew that the fight would be over in seconds. He'd have to drag it out a bit if he wanted the spectators to be satisfied, but then again, why do anything for _them?_

Dream made his way down to the arena, all the time keeping his head bowed so that none could see his face. It wouldn't have mattered much if they did catch a glimpse of what was under his hood, since most of his face was obscured by a white mask, but they'd still know who he was. He couldn't risk letting the gold slip away from him like that.

"Look at him, with his head hanging low like that," his opponent jeered mockingly. His voice was deep, perhaps even intimidating to some. But not to Dream. "Such a weakling! I can take you down in a second."

A smirk crossed Dream's face. Funny, he had been thinking the exact same thing.

He knew who his opponent was. Tarsel had once been a well-known warrior in the King's army, but he kept messing up because his pride got in the way. He was hot-headed and acted irrationally, contrasting Dream's own cool and calculated ways.

"Tarsel, do you accept this opponent?" the announcer asked. "If you win, you may keep the coins. But if _he_ wins, then the gold is his."

"I accept!" Tarsel's voice boomed around the arena. Dream could hear murmurs from the people watching, probably wondering how fast it would take for him to be defeated. His smirk widened.

"You hang your head down like a peasant," Tarsel said quietly, so that only Dream could hear. "That green cloak of yours, without a family emblem. All these bandages wasted upon you, probably for a mere scratch. I am disgusted that I have to fight someone so weak."

"These bandages cover a very serious wound," Dream said in a low voice. "The likes of you would be dead from what ails me now."

Tarsel tossed back his head and laughed. Dream narrowed his eyes. He was used to people treating him like dirt before he revealed his identity, but he still hated it. People thinking that they were above all others, mightier than the King. He was sick of it.

Some people just deserved to die.

Dream raised his head, pushing back his hood, letting his blond hair and mask be seen by all. Gasps rang out, but nobody made a move to run away.

"Y-you---" the announcer stammered. "I--- sorry, but---"

"Too late," Dream said, smiling. "He has already accepted the challenge."

Tarsel looked very pale. Maybe it was because he had just crossed the line insulting the most feared assassin ever, or maybe it was because he knew that he was going to die.

Either way, Dream didn't care. To him, it was just another task, another target to take care of. Kill the victim, then accept the rewards. Nothing else to it.

Dream pulled out his weapon, a long knife. It was shorter than a sword, but longer than a dagger, and it was his favourite melee weapon. He was very good with a bow, too, but he preferred to use his knife whenever he had the option.

Tarsel held his sword even tighter than before. He was as white as a sheet, which was an even greater reaction than Dream usually got when he revealed himself. The people who boasted the most always ended up the most cowardly.

"Begi---" the announcer started, but a loud voice cut him off.

"Dream!"

Dream glanced upward to where he had been sitting earlier. A man clad fully in black clothes stood there, staring at him from behind dark tinted sunglasses. He knew immediately who it was: Peligro, the person who controlled the black market. His most frequent employer.

Taking advantage of his distraction, Tarsel rushed at him, his sword held out. Dream whipped around, sidestepping the blade and bringing his knife up in a deadly arc towards the former knight. In a second, he lay dead at his feet.

Dream took the sack of gold from the announcer, who was shaking visibly, and turned his attention back up towards the back. Peligro was gone, but he wasn't worried about that.

He had a new task set out ahead of him. A new target.

He could only wonder who it would be.


	4. Chapter 4

Sapnap didn't expect a place that was supposedly full of thieves and killers and assassins to be so nice and welcoming.

The sun was starting to set, casting a blinding light over everything, but the trees provided him with ample shade. There was a paved road, but he preferred to walk in the forest bordering the path. That way, not only could he avoid being jumped, but he could use nature to his advantage at the same time.

His dark silky hair was in desperate need of brushing, but he didn't have anything but his fingers to brush it with. It didn't matter, though. His hair was the least of his concerns at the moment.

"Assassins," Sapnap murmured to himself as he walked. "How interesting...."

He knew about the legendary skills most assassins possessed. Once, he had even considered finding one to teach him to be a better fighter. But he ruled out the idea at once. Knights walked a straight path. Assassins liked to walk a very jagged and curvy one.

But the thought of meeting an assassin still excited him.

Sapnap looked around him, judging the trees. He picked a tall one, with limbs that would support his weight, and began to climb up. Other than the one he had just come from, he didn't see another village, which meant that his only option was to sleep in the wild.

Not that he minded. To him, the wild was a friend, not an enemy. Except for that time where he had almost been killed by wolves. Other than that, it was a friend.

He took off his cloak and set it down on him, acting as a makeshift blanket, and leaned back against the trunk of the tree. The sunset painted the sky in shades of orange, red, yellow, pink, and purple, while some blue still peaked out. It was beautiful, as if a rainbow had came by, puked out its innards, and left.

 _Tomorrow,_ Sapnap thought groggily to himself. _I'll push myself until I reach the castle. Nothing, not even assassins, will get in my way._

***

He woke up to find a young boy sitting next to him.

"Ah!" Sapnap scrambled away from the stranger, nearly falling out of the tree. "W-what? Who are you? Where did you come from? Why are you here?"

The boy watched him, waiting expectantly. Sapnap frowned. "Uh... what else do you want?"

"You're missing one," he noted. "What, who, where, why. You're missing when."

"...Dude."

"If you take what, where, and when, and replace the first letter with a T, then you get the answers to your questions," the boy said.

"Excuse me?"

"That, there, and then," he said proudly. "Logic."

Sapnap couldn't believe that he was having such a weird conversation. "No, _not_ logic. Answer my original questions. Please."

The "please" was more of an afterthought, but it seemed to do the trick. The boy smiled and folded his hands in his lap. 

"I am Snip," he said. "I was taken from my family when I was young, so I don't know what my house is. As to where I came from, well, I came from over there."

He pointed a finger into the distance. Sapnap followed it and saw nothing but trees and land. "Uh... okay. What's 'over there?'"

"My camp," Snip said simply. "With the other assassins."

Sapnap raised his eyebrows. _"'Other assassins?'"_ The kid couldn't have been older than thirteen. How could he be an assassin?

"And as to _why_ I'm here," Snip continued, "well, it's because we're going to capture you."

Out of nowhere, four people jumped out of the trees. Sapnap grabbed his cloak and leapt down from the tree, despite the height. His foot hit the ground hard, and a shock of pain went through him.

Hands grabbed at his shirt, catching onto the fabric and pulling him to a stop. He wrestled against his captors, but it was no use. Five against one, even if one of the five was a small boy, was no very good odds.

Someone pulled a sack over his head. Sapnap felt a chord being drawn tight around his neck, keeping it in place. The sack was rough and thick enough to let almost no light through. _Crap._

Ropes bound his hands and feet, rendering him unable to move or escape. _Okay,_ Sapnap thought glumly, _I take it back. The wild is_ not _my friend. This is even worse than that time with the wolves._

"Yay!" Snip's voice cheered. Hands clapped together in joy. "My first distraction! I think I did good."

"You did great," a female voice said. "Now, take him to Peligro. He'll be perfect for the plan."

Sapnap felt his body being lifted up and tossed over someone's shoulder. He squirmed around a bit, but a sharp prick in his neck stopped him.

"There, there," the female voice said. "That'll knock you out, and then we'll take you to the big bad boss, okay?"

"No, that is not okay!" Sapnap shouted. "I don't know what you want, but this is stupid and I'm _not_ going along with you and I don't care what's gonna happen because there is _no way_ that I'm going to let a bunch of shady assassins just carry me off like some sort of luggage and--- _mmhhph!"_

Someone pulled the sack off of his head. Sapnap strained his eyes to see if he could spot his captives, but the sun shone in his eyes, momentarily blinding him. Then a bundle of cloth was stuffed into his mouth, effectively shutting him up, and the sack went back on.

"Thank you," the woman from before sighed. "He was getting onto my nerves. Snip, how long does it take for the drug to take effect?"

Sapnap didn't get to hear the rest of the conversation, because the drug kicked in and he passed out cold.


	5. Chapter 5

George sat across from his father. The table was so long that they were at least thirteen meters apart, but since his father wasn't paying any attention to him anyway, he didn't think that it really mattered much.

The king muttered to himself, his bowl of cereal completely untouched in front of him. George frowned and played with his clout goggles, before working up the courage to say something.

"Er... Father? Are you okay?"

"Yes, of course."

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Indeed."

"My cloak is on fire."

"That's nice."

"So, uh, how's your cereal?"

"Try again, it might work the next time."

George sighed and finished off the rest of his breakfast. His father loved him, but he sometimes he completely ignored him as well. Unfortunately, he was used to it.

"You must work hard with your swordfighting lessons," the king said suddenly, raising his head and looking directly into George's eyes. "There have been reports of numerous kidnappings around our lands. I'm becoming concerned about what the people under the law are up to." He paused, then said, "Especially Peligro."

"Peli--- who?"

"Peligro," his father repeated impatiently. "The lord of the underworld, you might say."

"I thought that was Hades."

"I mean that figuratively, George. Peligro is the one who controls the black market, and all the stuff that happens without me agreeing to it. He has tons of assassins and other bad people working for him. Currently, he is this kingdom's biggest threat."

"Can't you just send your army after him?" George asked.

"And have them all be slaughtered?" The king laughed mirthlessly. "No, George, I won't. He hides in the shadows, never doing anything himself. But his underdogs are cold-hearted killers. We must be careful."

George shrugged. "They wouldn't dare come after us."

"Don't be so sure about that," his father warned. "It wouldn't be the first time I was attacked."

That made him quiet. George didn't know much about his family's past, only what he needed to learn, so to hear information like this was incredibly rare. He didn't want to press, in case it made him stop talking, but he also wanted to hear more.

"I was only slightly older than you are now," his father said, gazing off into space. "It was a lovely evening. My father and my mother bade me goodnight and retired to their room. Then I heard the screams.

"It was my mother. 'Hide!' she had screamed, even though I knew she had no idea whether I could hear her or not. The screams stopped suddenly, which meant she was dead.

"No sound ever came out of my father. He neither screamed nor yelled for me. But when I ran to check on them hours later, their bodies were not the only ones in the room."

"So he fought back," George said, "and he lost."

The king shook his head. "No, he did not lose. He succeeded in protecting myself, at the cost of his own life. All the assassins were killed by him, and the rest of us survived. That is why it is very important that you learn how to properly wield a sword. You must be able to defend yourself and the ones you love."

George nodded. "I will try my best, Father. Uh... can I get a new instructor?"

"Filens is enough," his father said, finally eating his cereal.

"Filens is too much," George muttered.

"Assassins will come again, George," the king said without a trace of doubt in his voice. "Peligro means to wipe out our bloodline, I am sure of it. He will send more after us. And if he succeeds in having us killed, then he will become the king."

A shady mastermind controlling from the background, becoming the king. George shuddered.

"We should get a shorter table," his father mused. "I feel like I'm shouting at you from across the hall."

"What? Can you yell a little louder, please? I can't seem to hear you!"

His father chuckled, and George smiled. Being funny wasn't something that he was very good at, but whenever he succeeded, he felt a spark of pride. Making his father laugh was a grand accomplishment.

"Filens is waiting for you outside," he said, and George's moment of joy fluttered away. "Try not to get yourself killed."

George stood up, grabbing his sword from where it lay on the ground and making his way towards the courtyard. "No guarantees."

***

"Ducks are most graceful things," Filens said, running a whetstone across his blade. As if it wasn't already sharp enough to kill George in an instant. "They are the most beautiful animal nature has ever created. So when you duck in combat, you must duck like a duck."

"I'm pretty sure ducks can't even duck, sir."

"Duck!" Filens yelled, swiping his sword at George's head.

George ducked down hurriedly, staying down just in case Filens decided to do an encore. His legs ached, but he didn't dare stand up until it was safe.

"Not duck-like enough," Filens announced. "Stand up."

Hesitantly, he did, only to find his instructor's sword zooming at his face again. He yelped and resumed his crouch, this time promising himself not to get up until Filens left.

"Better," his teacher admitted. "But not good enough! You will practice this. Stand up."

"I like it better down here," George said, rubbing his knees nervously.

"Already practicing, I see! Very good, very good... I expect you to do a perfect duck the next time you attend lessons, my prince. Ducking is a very useful skill on the battlefield."

"I will, erm, keep that in mind."

Filens swished his sword from side to side and walked away, humming to himself as he went. George watched him go until he was certain that he wasn't coming back, then stood up again. His legs were on _fire._

Who knew being a duck was so hard?


	6. Chapter 6

Dream found Peligro right where he expected, in a field of boulders. He suspected that his base was somewhere nearby, but he never stuck around long enough to find out.

"Ah, Dream," the man said as he got closer. "Earning money, huh?"

"I couldn't resist the opportunity," Dream replied.

Peligro gestured at a nearby rock, next to the one he was comfortably reclining on. "Sit."

"If you don't mind, I prefer standing."

The man chuckled. "Of course you do. Now, Dream, you are the best assassin I have ever employed. I trust you to get a job done."

Dream stayed silent. He knew where the conversation was going, but he didn't know exactly what he'd find at the end of it.

"I have a very important task for you, Dream. One that I only entrust to the best of the best. That means you."

"I'm flattered."

"No, you're not, but that doesn't matter right now. Listen, I need you to kill the royal family."

Dream raised an eyebrow. _Kill the royal family..._ that was nearly impossible. Nearly.

"By myself?"

"I'd give you a team, but I figured that you don't need one," Peligro said with another chuckle. "You've always been a lone wolf, haven't you?"

"This is a big task. I might need help."

"Then you can find that help yourself. I'm gathering up people as we speak, to cause a ruse and distract the king. That is all I will do."

Dream tilted his head to one side. "Payment?"

"Ten hundred gold coins."

His breath caught in his throat. _Ten hundred..._ that was an enormous amount. Where did he even get that much money from?

"I trust that, if you need help, you will pick people that you believe to be good enough for the job," Peligro continued. "Whether you share the bounty or not is up to you."

Dream wasn't a greedy sort of person, and he knew that ten hundred gold was enough to go around. But... he wasn't too good at working with others, especially on a task where it wasn't an even split.

Then again, it was the royal family he had to take out. There was no way he could do it just by himself.

"Do you want _everyone_ in the family dead?" Dream asked cautiously.

Peligro laughed. "Dream, there are only two in the family: the king, and the prince. Yes, I want both dead. I don't care how long it takes you, or how you do it, as long as you succeed. Do not fail me."

Dream bowed his head once in acknowledgement. He adjusted the straps on his mask to make sure that it absolutely wouldn't fall off, then headed back to the trees. _Kill the royal family._ It was a big task, but Dream knew that it was possible.

And he was going to accomplish it.

***

There was a lot of commotion as he headed back. The base camp run by Peligro was very large, but most of the things were built by the people that lived in it. The arena, the tents and buildings, the weapons stations, all of them run by the very same people who used the black market to make a living.

Dream passed by a man with a sack over his head, tied against a pole. A crowd of five surrounded him, tossing apples that they must've taken from him to each other and checking for any gold. It wasn't unusual to find hostages in the camp, but usually people didn't band together to raid a victim.

"Nuuuugghhhh," the man moaned. "Gah, I hate you all."

"He's coming around again," the woman standing next to him announced quite unnecessarily. In an instant, Dream recognized her: Mel. He knew about her constant looting expeditions, jumping carriages and killing off knights in the army. She was just as infamous as he himself was.

She glanced around, and her eyes fell on Dream. "Oh, it's you."

Dream scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She shrugged. "Peligro wanted us to provide you with some distractions. Thought you'd need them."

He took a step forward and prodded the captive with his toe. "And this is supposed to be my distraction? It's a person."

"A fighter," Mel corrected. "And if you play your cards right, a knight."

Dream processed her words, keeping his eyes on the man. He preferred to strike under the cover of the night, but with the amount of lamps and guards stationed everywhere around the castle, it just wouldn't be possible. That left him with the option of an inside attack.

There was no way that he'd pretend to be a knight and go in himself. He'd reveal his face, exposing himself, and that would be too costly, even for ten hundred golden coins.

Which was where the man came in. If Dream could use him to get inside the castle, then he'd have no problem lynching off his targets and getting out unnoticed.

"Did Peligro say anything about paying you?" Dream asked.

Mel huffed. "I'm going to go get my money right now. The man is yours. Take care of him, feed him three times a day, and make sure he doesn't wander off. If he dies, that's on you. We're not getting you another one."

Dream didn't bother replying. The man seemed fit enough, and his sword, which was laid by his said, seemed to be of high quality.

His eyes wandered over to his cape, with the flame design in plain sight. Something nagged at the back of his mind, something about a noble or a knight of some sort, but he couldn't remember exactly. At any rate, it didn't seem enough to mess with his plan, so didn't worry about it too much.

"Mel, wait, get back here," Dream called.

The woman turned around and frowned at him. "Alright, what?"

"Do you recognize this house symbol?"

Mel glanced down at the man's cloak and narrowed her eyes. "Sure I do. It's House de la Blaze. Lots of warriors and fighters from there in the king's army. He'll be perfect for you, eh?"

Dream allowed a smile to cross his features. "You're right," he said, kneeling down beside the man and pulling out his knife. "He'll be absolutely perfect."


	7. Chapter 7

Sapnap hated being a captive. His head hurt and he had a strange taste in his mouth, probably a side effect of the poison used to knock him out. The sack was still on his head. His eyes were closed, and he was, in all honesty, a bit worried about what he would find if he opened them.

"Are you just going to pretend to be unconcious, or are you actually going to open your eyes and look at me?"

"I prefer to be oblivious, thanks," Sapnap replied, unable to help himself. "And beside, did you forget about the sack?"

His captor sighed. There was the sound of a blade swishing through the air, and then the sack fell off, cut in two with the strings no longer connected. Sapnap let out a sigh of relief when he realized that his head was still intact.

"Open your eyes. Now."

Sapnap weighed the chances of him getting killed against him being his usual disobedient chaotic self. _I, uh, actually wanna stay alive._

He opened his eyes.

A man, maybe a year older than himself by the looks of it, sat in front of him. His face was hidden by a round white mask with a comical smile drawn on it. A few strands on dirty-blond hair peeked out from underneath a green hood, and a scabbard was attached to a to a strap running diagonally across his chest and back. He was holding a knife in his hands, which was probably what he had used to cut away the sack.

"Er... hello," Sapnap ventured. "Can you release me? Please?"

To his surprise, the man reached over and cut through the ropes binding his hands and feet. Sapnap massaged his wrists for a moment, eyeing the stranger warily.

"You seem shocked," the guy noted, the corners of his mouth quirking upward.

"I--- yeah, I am. I didn't think you'd actually free me."

"Then why did you ask?"

The question made Sapnap want to slap him. He could already tell what the man was like --- smart, high IQ, annoyingly cocky and sure of himself.

"It's a typical hostage line, isn't it?"

"Well, you're not the typical hostage, now are you?"

Sapnap scowled his captor. Hands down, this was _definitely_ worse than that time with the wolves.

He flexed his hands. His sword was right next to him. Maybe if he timed it right, he could grab his weapon and gain the upper hand before the man could react. He had had plenty of practice before, right? It was nothing new.

Sapnap's fingers curled around the hilt of his sword. Because of the stupid mask, he couldn't tell if the man was looking at him or not, but he couldn't afford to wait. Quickly, he brought up his sword, aiming for his neck.

The man's knife came out of nowhere, stopping the blow with the blade. In a single, quick twisting motion of his wrist, he sent Sapnap's sword flying through the air.

"So you can fight," the man noted. "That's good."

Sapnap squinted at him. "Good for who? You? That just means that I can kick your butt any time I want."

His captor laughed. He sheathed his knife and grabbed Sapnap's sword, handing it back to him. "Yes, it is very good for me. You've just made my life a whole lot easier."

That was a first. Usually people were always telling Sapnap that he made their lives a lot harder rather than the opposite. He decided that the man might not have been in his right state of mind to make such a statement.

"What's your name?" the man asked.

"Wha--- oh, Sapnap."

"Sapnap," he mused, frowning slightly. "Huh... I am definitely not familiar enough with House de la Blaze. I can hardly remember anything about it."

Sapnap's heart skipped a beat. "Wait, how do you know my family name?"

"The emblem on your cloak, idiot."

"...Oh, right."

His captor smirked and stood up. "We should get going. Our destination isn't close."

Sapnap got to his feet as well. "We're traveling? Where?"

"To the castle." The man was already starting to walk. "We should get there as soon as possible. Come on."

 _The castle?_ "I'm coming, I'm coming."

He knew that it probably wasn't best to follow his captor, especially when he was free, but judging from how fast the man had disarmed him, his chances of escaping weren't really high.

Sapnap took a step forward and a yelp of pain escaped him. He glanced down at his foot and remembered how he had jumped from the tree to escape the people that had abducted him. Knowing his luck, it was probably broken and in severe need of medical attention.

"I wrapped it in bandages," the man said, stopping to wait for him. "It'll take a while to heal, but you should be fine. Just try not to put too much pressure on it."

"How am I supposed to 'not put too much pressure on it' when I'm _walking?"_

His captor shrugged. "Hobble?"

Sapnap ground his teeth together and stumbled after the man, who had started walking again at the same fast pace. His ankle hurt with step, but he did his best to ignore it.

"So," Sapnap said, just to make small talk, "why are we going to the castle, then?"

The man didn't even bother looking back at him. "You're going to become a knight for the king's army. Easy enough."

 _A knight?_ It was as if the guy had peered into Sapnap's mind and figured out exactly what he wanted. Maybe he was his fairy godmother, granting all his wishes.

"Are you an assassin?" Sapnap ventured, keeping in mind that any wrong word would probably end with a sword through his stomach.

"What makes you say that?" the man asked, giving him a careful look.

Sapnap shrugged. "Oh, um, it's just that I was captured by a group of people claiming to be assassins, and since the first person I saw was you, I just assumed that you were with them. And your mask is weird. I figured only an assassin would wear something like that."

The man stayed silent for a minute, his back turned to Sapnap. Then, he turned around to face him. "I'm just like you. I want to prove myself as a warrior, even though I don't know my family's house, and serve the royal family. We can do it together."

He offered Sapnap a smile. Sapnap grinned back. He had thought that the guy was his captor, but apparently, he had been wrong. "Great! Then we can fight off assassins together and hopefully _not_ get drugged again!"

"Oh, we don't have to worry about the assassins," the man said with another small smile. "They won't be bothering us again."


	8. Chapter 8

George knew that something was wrong the second he stepped out of his room the next morning.

The servants muttered quietly among themselves, all looking distracted and worried as they went through their tasks. None of them seemed to notice him as he passed by.

He found the king sitting on his throne, grumbling to himself in the deserted room. His normally tidy hair and beard were not brushed and all over the place, which was definitely not like him. Something was definitely not right.

"Father? What is it?" George asked, sitting down on the floor in front of him instead of on his own seat.

The king sighed and rubbed his forehead. "It's nothing that you should need to be worried about, George."

"Everyone seems to know except for me, Father. I feel left out, and I'm the prince."

He knew that he was basically guilt-tripping the king by that point, but he wanted to know what was going on.

George stared at his father, and his father stared back. Finally, the king said, "Our spies have reported that Peligro is planning something big, and that he has raided a couple villages to get ten hundred gold to pay for it."

George's breath caught in his throat. That was a lot of money, and if it took that much money to convince someone to do something, then that something had to be very big indeed.

"I think..." The king's voice faltered. "I think that it's for a mission to have us assassinated."

_"What?"_

A maid scurried into the room and bowed low before them. "My Lord, the army is prepared, just as you requested."

"Thank you," the king said, exhaling deeply. "Have them count their numbers, then split them into equal groups of twelve."

"Right away, sir."

George's hands trembled in his lap. He clenched them together, willing himself to calm down and get a grip. If his father saw his reaction, then he'd definitely withhold more information from him in the future.

When his father had told him about his encounter with assassins the day before, George had dismissed it as just a tale from the past. It wouldn't affect him. But now, his own life was in danger, and his father's was again, not to mention all of the servants and knights in the castle.

Somewhere out there, a person was planning his death.

Somewhere out there, somebody wanted him dead.

He had to protect everyone.

"George, how are your swordfighting lessons coming along?" the king asked, breaking his train of thought.

George blinked, looking back up at him again. "They're good. I think I'm improving, really."

"In just three days?"

"Yes."

His father smiled. "I'm happy to hear that. Filens was raving about ducks the last time I saw him. Has he gained a new obsession with waterfowl or something?"

"It's just something that has to do with my lessons," George said, suppressing a grin.

"Hm. Well, soon I want you in the army."

George's eyes widened. He looked at his father in disbelief. " _Me,_ in the army? Are you sure about this, Father?"

"I've never been more sure of something in my life," the king said with a chuckle. "You'll learn faster if you're thrown into action after a small start. And if I'm guessing correctly, you want to do something about our possible assassins."

This time, George let his smile shine through. "Yes, I do. Thank you so much for trusting me."

His father returned his smile, looking much more happy than when George had first entered the room. "You are my son. Of course I trust you."

***

George hurried towards the training field, which was directly pressed up against the battlements. It was a long jump, going from training with Filens to training with a bunch of rowdy knights, but he knew that he could handle it.

His sword felt lighter than ever in his hand, and for the first time, he hadn't screwed up while putting on his leather armor. He was feeling great.

A large crowd of knights were standing clustered in the field, some dressed in complete iron armor and some in leather armor like his. They seemed to be arguing with one another, but George was too far away to hear what they were saying.

"Ah, Prince George!" Filens greeted as he got nearer. "I see that the king has sent you to me again!"

"Er, right," George said, stopping beside him. "So, what am I supposed to do, exactly?"

"We are in the process of counting how many knights there are," Filens explained. He scratched his head and frowned. "I suppose you won't be doing anything, then."

George breathed a sigh of relief. "That's fine. I'll watch and see how you do things in the army. It'll be informing, anyway."

Filens gave him a pat on the shoulder and grinned broadly. "You can practice your ducking in the meantime, eh?"

"...Sure. So, um, what are all these knights arguing about, exactly?"

"We're more focused on who should be together in a group than how many there are," Filens said. "The weak must be balanced by the strong."

"I thought everybody was strong."

Filens shook his head. "There are the strong, and then there are the strong _er._ We cannot afford to have a team of weak links, where the assassins could break in through our defenses."

George focused on the conversations, picking out certain strings of words.

"We can't have _him_ in that group, it'll be too strong while _this_ group over here is in need of a good melee fighter."

"But then that group will be all melee fighters."

"There aren't that many archers, though! We need to recruit more."

"Or we could find better melee fighters."

"Are you saying that we all suck?"

"...Possibly."

"Recruits," Filens mused. "Yes, that would be good. The higher our numbers are, the more discouraged the assassins will be. We must find more warriors. _We_ must go out to them. They won't come to us."

He turned to the knights. "Send out ten people to recruit more warriors into our army. If you can find archers, persuade them to come. We need them more than anything. Their sharp eyes will benefit us."

"May I come along?" George asked, jumping at the opportunity to go see the world outside of the castle walls.

Filens beamed at him and nodded. "Of course! But of course, you'll have to hide the fact that you are a prince."

George smiled. "Even better."


	9. Chapter 9

Dream didn't know what to think when he spotted the village.

He knew that they'd see his mask and recognize him in an instant, even if his new companion hadn't. It made him wonder what sort of secluded life the guy had lived to not know who the greatest and most feared assassin was.

"Ooh, village," Sapnap said as his eyes fell upon the rooftops below. "We should go there, maybe settle down for the night. I don't think the wild likes me too much right now."

Dream didn't know exactly what to make of that statement, so he chose to ignore it, instead focusing on what he could make of the village. There was a good amount of houses and structures, and it was very big. Patches of farmland surrounded it, and a path led directly towards the castle that he could just barely see in the distance. It was a good village, and if he wanted knights to come to _him_ rather than go to them himself, then it would be an ideal place to wait.

"You're right, we should go," Dream agreed. He fiddled with the straps of his mask. "But, uh, I think I might startle them if I walk in with this mask. You said yourself that it makes me seem like an assassin."

"Psssh, you're not, so what do you have to worry about?"

Sapnap would be suspicious if he said that he didn't want to go, and the only decent excuse he could come up with was that he didn't like crowded areas or people in general. But that wouldn't work. Sapnap would just drag him to a deserted house, and he'd still be seen.

"Hey, uh, what's your name?" Sapnap asked, disrupting his thoughts.

Dream frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Your name. You haven't told me yet, and it's kind of uncomfortable at this point."

His name. He couldn't be truthful and tell him that it was Dream, because then he'd be able to suss out who he was. Then again, maybe the man was so oblivious that even his name wouldn't be able to spark a connection.

"My name is Dream."

Sapnap frowned. "'Dream?' What sort of name is _that?"_

"Excuse me? Says the man named 'Sapnap.'"

"It's a weird name," Sapnap said decidedly. "Dream... that sounds sort of familiar, I don't know why."

"Don't dwell on it for too long," Dream advised. "Memory is a tricky thing. Let's just go to the village."

He tugged off his mask, letting the sun's rays hit his face. No one would recognize him anymore. His blond hair alone wouldn't be able to give away anything. It had been a long time since he had taken off his mask in front of someone, and yet he didn't feel worried or anything around Sapnap. Maybe it was because of how little the man seemed to know about him. He treated him like a normal person, not some sort of assassin that wanted to kill the very same king that Sapnap wanted to serve. It was a nice feeling.

"Woah, dude," Sapnap said, staring at him. "I thought you wore a mask because you were, I dunno, really hideous or something. But you're not. You're actually kind of good-looking."

"Thank you?"

"Why _do_ you wear a mask?"

Dream's brain whirled as it tried to come up with a good explanation. "I'm famous, actually. I hate all the attention I get, though, so I use the mask to hide what I look like. That way, I can take it off when I don't want to be recognized and everything is fine."

Sapnap frowned. "If you're famous, why didn't I recognize you?"

Dream laughed. "That's a good question, actually. I don't know. Maybe you've lived under a rock for most of your life?"

The man blushed and scuffed at the ground with his toe. "I have been focused mostly on training and stuff," he admitted sheepishly.

So _that_ explained it. Another reason why Sapnap was the perfect person for what Dream had in mind.

"On the topic of me being famous," Dream said, grabbing the chance to hide another aspect of his assassin life, "that means that you can't go around shouting my name, okay?"

Sapnap tilted his head to one side. "Yeah, that makes sense. What _do_ you want me to call you, then?"

Dream shrugged. "I don't know. Clay?"

"Clay's fine by me. I just hope that I don't slip and let your identity out."

Dream smiled. The guy was so sincere, it made him feel sorry for deceiving him like that. But he had a task to accomplish, and Sapnap provided him with an opportunity too good to pass up.

He tied his mask to his belt, making sure that it was far back enough that his cloak would cover it completely. His outfit wasn't much of a problem, since most people only knew him by his mask and name.

Sapnap excluded, of course.

"C'mon, let's go," Sapnap said excitedly, eyeing the village below. "I'm hungry."

Dream followed him down the hill and towards the village. Everything was going so smoothly, especially when none of it had been planned. It was as if fate _wanted_ him to succeed.

"Hey, Dream, you're a good fighter, aren't you?"

"Hm?" Dream glanced up at Sapnap in surprise. "Why do you ask that?"

"Well," Sapnap said, rubbing his neck, "you easily overpowered me when I attacked you, and before that you must've taken out all those assassins that had taken me. You're using a long knife, which is hard for someone unaccustomed to its length and power, and the ease with which you hold it suggests that you're either skilled or stupid. I think it's the first."

Dream blinked in surprise. For a man who couldn't even recognize the most feared assassin ever, he was definitely very observant. _What a strange combination._

They reached the village. Dream stared at its well-worn path, leading into the center of the town. He had never done anything as risky as going out into the open without his mask, with a person who knew his name right next to him.

All to take out the royal family.

It had better be worth it.


	10. Chapter 10

Sapnap inspected some leather armor on sale, turning it over and checking out every corner. It seemed to be good quality, and it was brand new as well. Only fifty coins. Not bad.

"Hey, Clay, this is good, right?" Sapnap asked Dream, being mindful of his cover-up name.

Dream glanced over at the armor and held out a hand. He felt the leather and nodded approvingly. "It's pretty good. And the price is decent as well. Are you going to buy it?"

"Yeah, hold on." Sapnap rummaged around his pockets, looking for his gold. Then he frowned. "Oh... those assassins from before must've taken all my money. I'm broke, dude."

Dream sighed and pulled out a hundred golden coins, handing them to the marketer. "I'll buy it for you, and one for me. But you owe me, okay?"

Sapnap grinned. "Of course. Thanks, buddy."

He took off his cloak and slipped on the middle section of his armor, feeling around the sides for where to secure it. A second later, he felt Dream's hands tightening the straps. "Oh, thanks. Wow, I must seem like I know nothing, huh?"

_"'Seem?'"_

"What? Do you really expect me to say that I know nothing? I'm not going to admit something like that."

Dream huffed and started doing up his own straps. With their armor, they seemed more like knights than knights-to-be's.

Sapnap grinned and struck a ridiculous pose. "Hey, Clay! Look! I'm a knight!"

"No knight who actually cares about their ego will do something like that," Dream said, rolling his eyes. He glanced around him at the rest of the market stands. "We need food. You're going to owe me even more after this."

"I'll pay up. Eventually."

Sapnap watched as Dream headed across the street to get some apples. His golden hair caught in the rays of the sunlight, and his green eyes sparkled like emeralds. He couldn't understand why someone with looks like that would hide them underneath a childish mask, or how he couldn't even gotten famous in the first place if he covered them up.

Then again, he _had_ basically lived under a rock for his whole life, so he knew nothing.

"Hey, Sapnap," Dream called. "Catch."

He tossed a couple apples in his direction. With the expertise of someone who had tossed around apples for the past week or so, Sapnap caught the apples and put them swiftly in his pocket. A professional magician couldn't have done it better.

"How much is my grand total up to now?" Sapnap asked, following his new companion towards what looked like an inn.

"Sixty coins."

 _"What?_ The apples cost ten gold? You've got to be kidding me."

"I'm not. You better cough up the money at some point."

"Come on, Clay, we're _friends,_ right? Friends don't demand money from friends."

"I guess we're not friends, then."

Sapnap trailed after Dream as he pushed through the doors of the inn and approached the lady at the counter. She glanced up at them as they headed in and scowled. "Oh, hello."

"Aren't you supposed to be _happy_ when you see customers?" Sapnap asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Paying customers, maybe," she grumbled. "You two look broke as heck."

Sapnap wasn't about to admit that he _was_ as broke as heck, but luckily, Dream stepped in. He placed a couple of coins on the table and smiled.

The lady swept the gold off of the table and into her lap, positively beaming back at Dream. "Why, you _are_ paying customers," she cooed. "Very nice, very nice! Pick any empty room that you want up above, there aren't many people here anyways."

"Is there one with a good view of the streets?" Dream asked.

"Of course, honey, just stick with the rooms on the left."

Sapnap didn't even bother hiding his grin as he headed up the stairs, with Dream right on his tail. "Man, that was brilliant, dude! You're so smooth with people. You didn't even say anything and she was all sweet with you!"

"She was sweet with the gold," his friend corrected, passing by a few doors before stopping in front of one that looked identical to the others. "Ah, this one's in a good position. Come on."

Sapnap furrowed his brow. "Wait, you didn't pay for _two_ rooms?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to share. This is for the good of your wallet, Sapnap."

The room had two large beds with a table in between, and a bathroom right next to the closet. Sapnap grinned as he looked around. A nice, furry carpet, a large window, and clean bedsheets. Whatever that lady was charging, it wasn't enough. Not that he was complaining.

He made his way to stand next to Dream, who was staring out the window. It was a good spot, with an excellent view of the road all the way out towards the castle in the distance.

"So, why do you need to be able to see the street?" Sapnap asked. "I mean, it's just a street after all."

"Without streets, where would we be now?"

"Uh... in the forest?"

Dream shook his head as if to clear it. "That's not the point. Look, we want to be knights, don't we? Well, the king is always looking for more warriors to add to his army, and I bet that this village is the first that they go to when they hire new recruits."

Sapnap lit up. "Oh, so we're going to wait for them to come to us. Makes sense. That way, we'll seem like professionals, not some wannabes who really wanna become knights."

His companion nodded. "You should rest, Sapnap. We've been travelling all day. There's no way that you're not tired."

"Oh, I am _definitely_ tired. If something happens, wake me up, okay?"

"Nothing's going to happen. Just rest."

Sapnap flopped down on the bed closest to the door, leaving the one next to the window for Dream. He closed his eyes and sighed. In a second, he was asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

George shifted nervously on his horse. He had never ridden one before, and he expected the animal to buck and throw him off at any second.

"Calm down, young prince," Filens said with a chuckle. "Trust in the horse."

"R-right."

He still didn't believe that the horse wouldn't toss him, but he respected the knight enough not to immediately jump off and run away.

"It's a good thing that we rose early to carry out our task," Filens remarked as they road towards the west. "We have lots of time to go and find brave warriors to join our numbers. Now it all depends on how well our finding skills are."

George gazed off into the distance. He could already see a village nearby, and there was no doubt that it would be their first destination. His hands were already starting to sweat at the idea of going around and convincing people to join the army, but he was already too far away from the castle to change his mind.

"This is your first time going out to see the villages, yes?" Filens asked as he rode along beside George.

"Yeah, it is. Am I supposed to be this nervous?"

The knight laughed. "Of course! Being nervous is a good thing."

"Why do I feel like disagreeing with that?"

Filens just smiled. He turned his attention towards the village, which they were steadily approaching, and nodded at it. "See here, George, the most important trait in a warrior is honesty to thyself. They must know when they have messed up and admit to it valiantly."

"I thought warriors were supposed to be good at fighting," George said. "We're recruiting to add onto our numbers, aren't we?"

"A warrior must also be observant," Filens continued, completely ignoring him. "They must notice everything that is happening around them at all times. That is the only way to protect what needs to be protected."

 _Like me,_ George thought glumly.

He squinted up at the sky. The sunrise was remarkable, especially since he was seeing it outside rather than from behind closed windows.

As they rode down the road into the heart of the village, George's own heart skipped a beat. _Relax. You're just here to recruit some knights, and besides, you volunteered to do it in the first place. Besides, no assassin would hide in a village, in plain sight. You're safe._

_And you've got Filens. That's good. I think._

"Good people!" Filens shouted, immediately drawing the attention of all those around them. "We are here to find any brave souls willing to put their own lives at risk for the good of this kingdom. We are looking for knights who will train and fight in the name of the king and his son."

George managed to smile at the crowd of people. His eyes fell upon two standing in the back, both wearing leather armor similar to the type he had seen some of the knights wearing. One had dark hair and smokey eyes, while the other had fair hair and slightly tanned skin. Both had long cloaks and sheathed weapons. 

_Only a fool would wear a weapon that he can't use,_ George reflected. _These two might be good candidates._

"Any fighters?" Filens asked, his eyes scanning the crowd. "Are there any melee fighters or snipers here among us now?"

George watched as the man with black hair elbowed his companion. They exchanged a few words, and then the man raised his hand. "We can fight."

Filens lit up. "Excellent! Thank you, everyone. You two, come with me."

The crowd dispersed, though a few curious people hung around, clearly trying to make up their minds. George rolled his eyes and shuffled his horse closer to Filens. The knight was grinning broadly.

"That was a good speech, huh?" Filens said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Sure," George said, just so that he wouldn't hurt his feelings.

"Er, hello," said one of the men from before, the blond-haired on. He offered a smile, shifting from one foot to another. "This is where you sign up to be a knight, right?"

"Right," Filens said cheerfully. "Come, let's hear your areas of expertise."

The man hesitated, then said, "I'm a melee fighter, I suppose, but I'm really good with a crossbow as well."

 _What's the difference between a crossbow and a bow?_ George wondered, wishing that Filens had taught him something more useful than learning how to be a duck.

"An arbalist!" Filens beamed. "Brilliant! We just happen to be in dire need of some ranged fighters. You're recruited!"

The guy blinked. "Just like that?"

"Just like that!" Filens agreed. He turned to the other man. "And how about you?"

The man shrugged, fidgeting with the ends of his cloak nervously. "I just fight with a sword, that's all. I can learn really quickly, though."

"Recruited!"

"Uh... really?"

"There was no decision process in that," George protested. "They came, they talked, and you accepted."

"They seem noble," Filens said. His gaze shifted from one man to the other. "They will be a good addition to the army."

"Thank you, sir," the man with the light hair said, bowing slightly. He glanced over at George. "So who is this? Another person you recruited from some other village? I wasn't aware that there were villages closer to the castle than this one."

"He is a knight in training," Filens replied. "Just like you soon will be."

"Does this mean that we'll meet the prince and the king?" the dark-haired man asked excitedly. "Oh, man, I bet he knows how to use a sword really well. I can get some pointers from him!"

George fought to hide his growing blush. The man was probably --- no, _definitely_ \--- better with a sword than he was. _He_ would end up being the one getting the pointers.

"So, what are your names?" Filens asked as he pulled the dark-haired man up onto his horse.

"I'm Sapnap," the guy said.

The other man looked at George, and George looked back. There was a strange glint in his eyes, even though his expression was calm and collected. He placed a hand on the back of his horse and, in one swift move, jumped on behind him.

"What about you?" Filens said, directing his question towards the man now sitting behind George.

"I'm Clay," the guy said, and even though George couldn't see him, he could hear the ghost of a smile in his voice.


	12. Chapter 12

Dream gripped the shoulders of the man in front of him tightly, holding on as if his life depended on it. And while it didn't, the life of his ten hundred coins _did._

He already knew who he was. The older knight merely said that the guy was also a knight-in-training, but Dream knew better. The way the man shifted uncomfortably on the horse, as if it were his first time riding, and the way that his sword hung loosely at his side, all told Dream that he was embarrassingly inexperienced for a supposed "knight" of his age.

There he was, sitting right behind the person that he was meant to kill.

He had never needed his self restraint so much before in his life.

"What kind of training will we be getting?" Sapnap asked as he reclined, somehow extremely comfortable, behind the older knight.

"Physical training," the knight replied. "How to wield a sword to do the most damage, how to take down an opponent in the least amount of time possible, and how to run away quickly."

Dream frowned. "So no training of the mind? No strategy lessons?"

"What Sir Filens means is that knights are just meant to act as a block of muscle," the prince supplied. "They aren't expected to think."

"That's not true!" Filens protested. He paused, thinking about it, then said, "Well, maybe a bit."

Dream smiled to himself. Knights who couldn't even decide what the best course of action was for themselves. His task was going to be way too easy.

But the old knight, Filens... he seemed more knowledgeable than the rest. Sure, he was too trusting, but most people were anyway. And his way of looking at the world was interesting.

"You will be living in a specified room in the castle," Filens said as they rode on. "The entire west wing of the castle is for knights, so that is where you will be. You will each have your own separate room, but it depends on how many people we get."

"I don't think we'll get enough knights to fill up the entire wing," the prince said with a chuckle. He seemed uneasy.

 _There's no way that he knows who I am and what I'm here for,_ Dream thought. _No way._

Filens winked at him. "Dream big, my friend."

Dream winced internally at the sound of his name. It always made him uncomfortable when someone said it, even if it was out of context. And since his name was something that commonly came up in conversations, he was always squirming inside.

They were approaching the castle. Dream could see the soldiers stationed at the battlements along the walls, dressed in iron armor, all holding swords. Filens was right when he said that they were low on ranged combat fighters.

"Woah," Sapnap said, gazing up at the castle. "It's bigger than I thought it would be."

Dream nodded in agreement, his eyes sweeping off towards the sides. There weren't any blind spots that he could immediately discern, but he didn't dare look for too long in case Filens or the prince noticed something fishy, as unlikely as that was.

"The walls are built of stone," Dream noted casually. "Doesn't that make it easier for people to climb it?"

"Perhaps," Filens said, "but we position knights at equal intervals to ensure that someone would notice if a bandit was scaling the walls."

"And if the bad person already got through and was operating within the castle walls?"

Filens shook his head. "That wouldn't happen. We are more prepared than you would think, Clay."

"Hey," Sapnap piped up. "Since you guys already know _our_ names, can we get to know the name of Clay's horseback buddy?"

Dream turned to the prince expectantly. He actually didn't know his name, nor the name of the king. He didn't know what the king looked like, either, but he knew that he would recognize him on sight.

"Oh, that," the prince chuckled nervously. "Right, I'm, uh...."

"You can stop pretending," Dream told him. _Stop. Don't think about the fact that your target is right in front of you. Don't think about how your knife is right next to your hand._ "We know you're the prince."

Sapnap blinked. "Uh, we do?"

"We do," Dream said.

Filens chuckled. "Oh, you two really _are_ smart! I'm impressed. What gave it away?"

Dream shrugged. "Just the little things. Like how he's not used to the stuff that a typical knight, even an undertrained one, should be able to do."

The prince glared at the ground. Dream frowned slightly and took his hands off of his shoulders, resting both in his lap, away from his weapon. It was hard to ride on horseback without holding onto anything, but since his options were either that or holding onto the prince, he decided to just risk falling off.

"Hey," Dream said in a softer voice. "Technically, right now Sapnap and I are both also undertrained knights, you know. Everyone is bad before they become good. You're just still stuck on the 'bad' part."

"Is that your idea of a pep talk? It's horrible," Sapnap said.

"Thanks," the prince mumbled. "I know that I'm bad right now and that I'm improving very slowly, but I'll get better. Hopefully."

Sapnap grinned. "You can train with us! That way, if someone wants to take us out, they'll have to take _three_ people out first."

Dream grinned back. _Why are you being so nice to him?_ he asked himself silently. _He's your target. He's going to die at your hands. Don't get attached to your victims._

"I'm George," the prince offered. "I never got to introduce myself, but um, yeah, I'm the prince."

He seemed kind of embarrassed by that. Dream placed his hands on his shoulders again and frowned. "That means you have to be careful, doesn't it? What with all of the assassins around here?"

"Yes, he will have to be careful," Filens spoke up. He had been so quiet that Dream had nearly forgotten about him. "But nevertheless, we will have great knights protecting him as well."


	13. Chapter 13

Sapnap grinned as he looked around his room. Sure, the walls were stone, but the interior was so comfy and nice that it made his previous room in the village look downright shabby.

"It's really nice, isn't it?" a voice asked.

He turned around. Dream was leaning against the frame of the door, his arms folded in front of him. He wasn't wearing his cloak anymore, which meant he must've taken it off and shoved it somewhere in his room.

Sapnap took off his own cloak and tossed it onto the bed. "It's everything I'll ever need and more," he said with a dramatic sigh.

Dream walked into the room and planted his hands on the windowsill, which was low enough that he had to stoop over slightly. He gazed down at the courtyard. Suddenly, Sapnap was rocked with a feeling of déjà vu. The way he looked out into the distance, with the sharp look in his eyes, reminded Sapnap of when he had been attacked by wolves. Their sense of hunting and fighting skills made them difficult opponents to overcome.

Just like assassins.

_Woah, where did that thought come from?_

"Are you ready for the training?" Dream asked, shaking Sapnap out of his thoughts.

Sapnap shrugged. "I mean, it should be pretty easy, right? Fighting each other, trying to improve your swordsmanship, all that jazz. It's basically what I've been doing for my whole life."

Dream smirked. "If you're so good, then you should be able to take me down without breaking a sweat, right?"

He thought back to his first encounter with the man. He had been overpowered easily. "Uh... right, right, definitely. But, uh, I might need a bit of practice beforehand."

Dream laughed. He moved away from the window and sat down on Sapnap's bed, picking up the cloak he had discarded there and neatly folding it up. His hands wandered over to the flame emblem stitched onto the fabric. Maybe Sapnap was imagining it, but Dream seemed sad.

"You don't know your family house, right?" Sapnap asked, then immediately regretted it. _Stupid, stupid,_ he scolded himself. _That was way too direct._

They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a while as Sapnap fumed silently and regretted his life choices.

"You're right," Dream finally said. "I don't know my house. I never have. My family is a mystery to me."

Sapnap winced. His own family wasn't as great as it could be, but at least he had one. Judging from what Dream was saying, he had never, ever met his family before.

"Must've been tough," Sapnap said.

"Yeah."

"Hard childhood?"

"Yeah."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really, no."

Sapnap paused, then said, "You sure?"

Dream faced him, putting the cloak aside. There was a hard glint in his eyes that suddenly made Sapnap feel kind of nervous. "No offense, Sapnap, but you're a horrible psychiatrist."

Sapnap chuckled nervously. "I'm just going to go ahead and be offended, then."

"Do whatever you want. Just... leave me alone."

He turned away, his slumped back pointing towards Sapnap. The leather strap attached to his sheath was still around his chest, though the rest of his clothes were black. _He must really like the color. Or he's a goth. One of the two._

"Dream, I'm sorry," Sapnap said softly. "I got too deep into your business and didn't know when to back out. I'm sorry."

Dream straightened and stood up again. "No, it's okay," he said, not looking at him. "I'm going to go practice a bit, get used to using a sword again. You can join me if you'd like."

"Yeah, maybe later."

Sapnap closed his eyes, internally cursing himself for his stupidity. He opened his eyes again. Dream was gone.

 _Huh,_ he thought, somewhat surprised. _I didn't hear him leave. He must have a really light tread. Must be useful for sneaking up on people. Or if he were an assa---_

_Stop. Stop comparing him to a bad guy. He's your friend, stop thinking badly of him._

Sapnap shook his head and sighed. He glanced over at the folded up cloak, then out the window. The sun was shining brightly. Maybe it was a good time to go practice his skills. And he definitely needed practice if he wanted to get better than Dream.

He stood up and stretched, then grabbed his sword and left his room.

***

Sapnap found Dream standing in an empty courtyard, a sword in his hands. A green blindfold covered his eyes, tied at the back of his head in a fashion almost like his own bandana.

He took a step towards him, then another, trying his best to keep his footsteps silent. _I'm going to scare him. He won't even see it coming, and quite literally._

Sapnap was within touching distance. He reached out an arm, ready to put a hand on his shoulder and scare the crap out of him, when suddenly Dream turned around. There was a blur of movement. Sapnap choked back a startled yell as the edge of a sword touched his throat.

Dream pulled the blindfold away from his eyes and smirked at him. "Nice try."

"How did you know I was there?"

He tapped his ear with his free hand. "When one of your senses is blocked, your other senses become heightened in a way. I had to rely on my sense of hearing. That's how I knew."

"But I was being so _sneaky,"_ Sapnap complained. "That was, like, _high level_ sneaking right there. There was _no_ way that you could've heard me."

Dream shrugged and lowered his sword, letting Sapnap breath easy again. "But I did. You've got to try harder if you want to try and sneak up on me."

Sapnap folded his arms and pouted. "Okay, fine. If you really wanna get scared so badly, then yeah, I'll try harder next time. But when I make you jump out of your skin, just remember that _you_ asked for it."

Dream chuckled. "I'd like to see you try."


	14. Chapter 14

George shifted his stance and gripped the hilt of his sword even tighter. His opponent, a fully-fledged knight a lot older than himself, stood across from him.

"Ready, men?" Filens called. "Attack!"

George flung himself forward, his sword held out in front of him. His opponent blocked the blow and slashed, forcing him to back away.

A bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face. The knight grinned at him and lowered his sword. "Come on, prince, you can do better than that. I _know_ you can. Don't hold back against me. I'm just a lowly knight, remember?"

_Right. And I'm not going to let some "lowly knight" defeat me._

George leapt towards his opponent again. As the man raised his sword to defend against the attack, he darted to the side and pushed him over.

Filens strolled over to them. His eyes fell on the body of the man sprawled on the floor and he chuckled slightly. "That's an interesting way to doing things, my prince."

George blew a strand of his brown hair out of his face and stared down at the fallen knight. "Nobody's going to let me just push them down when we're _really_ fighting, are they?"

"You took me by surprise," his opponent grunted, struggling to his feet. "If you can do that on the battlefield, then I don't see why not."

"I need to learn how to _actually_ fight," George said. "This isn't _real_ swordfighting."

"That's where you're both correct and incorrect," Filens said, patting him on the shoulder. "You didn't have the sword skills to overcome your opponent, but you managed to do so anyway with your intellect."

"Is that a fancy way of saying that I can't use a sword but I'm smart?"

"...Yes, if you want to take the glamour out of it."

George smiled. For the time being, he was content to be smart. But he still had to improve his abilities with a sword, or any weapon at the very least.

He looked around the training field spotted the two men from earlier that day. They were dueling each other, and even though nobody was _technically_ doing better, an inexperienced person like himself could still tell who was better.

"They're pretty good, aren't they?" Filens said, following George's gaze. "You must have some special luck around you. I never bring back soon-to-be knights as skilled as these."

George watched as the dark-haired one, Sapnap, feigned a blow towards the left. The other man, Clay, smacked his sword away easily, clearly not falling for the trick. "Do you think I'll ever be that good?"

"Of course, my prince! They've probably been training for a long time prior to coming here."

"But they're _younger_ than I am."

Filens gave him a push, sending him stumbling in the direction of the two. "Maybe _they_ should be the ones training you, not me."

George rubbed his arm nervously and approached the two. _This is a bad idea. I'm probably going to get decapitated. I'm---_

"Oh, prince-dude," Sapnap said, glancing at him. "Hi---"

Clay brought his sword in a low sweep, knocking Sapnap's legs out from underneath him. George winced as he hit the ground hard. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Sapnap groaned, massaging his back.

Clay offered him a hand, helping him back onto his feet. "You can't afford distractions," he said with a slight smile. "Especially if that distraction is the mysterious prince named George."

He tilted his head to one side and gave George an odd look. A shiver ran down his spine. He couldn't explain it, but something about the guy didn't sit right with him.

"So how's your swordness coming along?" Sapnap asked George.

George frowned down at his sword. "Not good. Apparently I'm just relying on my smarts at this point."

"That's still good," Clay said, leaning on his sword. "I'd rather be smart than good at playing around with a sword."

"I mean, it's not 'playing,'" Sapnap said. "What if you're defending your life or something and you need your sword to save your life? This is like self-defense, I guess."

"That's why I need to become better," George said in agreement. "I need the self-defense. Especially right no---"

He bit his lip, stopping himself from finishing the sentence.

"Assassins?" Sapnap guessed.

George nodded. "They're such a big problem, aren't they?" he said wryly.

Sapnap sheathed his sword. He wasn't wearing a sympathetic look like George had expected, but instead had a sort of calm acceptance, as if this sort of thing happened on a daily basis. "That's why you and that Filens guy recruited us, isn't it? It's not because you're actually low on knights, it's because you need more to protect you and the king."

_"Protect." Why do I need protection? Why am I so weak that I need other people to take care of me for me?_

"Clay?" Sapnap asked. "You're being awfully quiet."

George blinked, looking over at the man. He had forgotten about Clay, completely engrossed in his conversation with Sapnap.

Clay was staring down at the ground, his brow furrowed slightly. His grip on the hilt of his sword was so tight that his knuckles had turned white, even though his expression gave almost nothing away.

"Are you okay?" George asked cautiously.

He looked up at him, as if coming out of a daze. "What? Yeah, I'm okay. Just lost in my thoughts for a second."

George frowned at him. There was definitely something strange going on, but he didn't feel like he had the authority or the right to go and prod at him to get information.

But it was bothering him. Greatly.

He glanced over at Sapnap, who seemed to be following the same trail of thoughts as himself. The two had been together when George and Filens found them, but even he didn't seem to know much about Clay.

Something was up. And George was going to get to the bottom of it.


	15. Chapter 15

Dream's hands were shaking slightly as he returned to his room. It was the first time in a long while that he was feeling so out-of-control while completing a task, and the fact made him uneasy.

He tossed his sheathed sword onto the table and sat down on the ground. _Calm down,_ he told himself. _What are you so worked up about anyway? It's just another task. Calm down._

_Does he know?_

The thought rang out loud above all the others. The way that the prince, George, had been looking at him, made him feel certain that he at least suspected _something._

His fingers twitched. Dream clenched his hands into fists, digging his nails into his skin, trying to use the pain to calm down. He took a deep breath and then exhaled, closing his eyes.

_Focus on the task. Nothing else matters._

_You can have a week to prepare. A week to gain the trust of the king and the prince, and then kill them. Trust is essential to have before you break it._

_But what if I can't force myself to break it?_

_Stop, you're going soft. You can't afford that. Especially not now._

Inhale, exhale.

Dream opened his eyes again and looked around his room. He felt a lot calmer, as if he'd gained the upper hand again. He was used to being in difficult situations with enemies around him at all times. He was used to fooling everybody.

A knock sounded at his door. Dream leaned back against the side of his bed and tilted his head to one side. _Who could be wanting to talk to me right now?_

"What do you want?" he called.

"Just to chat," Sapnap's voice said from outside of his room.

Dream hesitated, then said, "Alright, the door's unlocked."

Sapnap pushed into his room, closing the door gently behind him. Dream watched cautiously as he made his way over to him and sat down next to him. He was sure that Sapnap suspected that something was off about him as well.

He needed to step up his game.

"Dream, you know I've basically been living under a rock for my whole life, right?" Sapnap began.

"That's an understatement," snorted Dream.

"I want to know more about you."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "And why is that?"

Sapnap shrugged. "I mean, you've told me that you're, like, super famous, right? I'm just over here feeling curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat, Sapnap."

"I'm not a cat, now am I, Dream?"

Dream's eyes met Sapnap's cool grey ones. Something overcame him, and all his uncertainties from before dissolved away. He smiled. "You're right, you're not. Okay, fire away."

Sapnap seemed taken back for a second, but then he returned his smile. "So, your name is Dream, right? That's kind of a weird name, if I'm being honest."

Dream just shrugged. "It's unique, I suppose. Personally, I like it."

"Okay, okay, next question. Why are you famous, exactly?"

"I'm a jack-of-all-traits," Dream replied coolly, not missing a beat. "Kind of good looking, skilled with weapons, a decent fighter. All the things were in my favor."

Sapnap looked skeptical. He looked Dream up and down, then said, "Yeah, I'll admit to all those things, but I don't see how that's enough to make you famous. And besides, didn't you say that you always wore a mask?"

Dream bit back a curse. He'd slipped. "Yeah, but before I became _widely_ famous I didn't. That's what kick-started it all."

"Oh. Neat. Is that it?"

"That's it."

He smiled and stretched. Other than that slight stumble, everything had went pretty smoothly in his opinion. Good looks were definitely enough to get someone famous, which meant that it was a pretty reasonable explanation.

Sapnap stood up. He was quiet for a minute, then said, "Is it tough? You know, being famous?"

Dream's smile faded. "Yes," he said honestly. "Everywhere you go, people recognize you. You don't have any privacy. When people talk to you, you have to make sure that they're not trying to get something out of it before you ease up, and that takes forever."

"Trust is a tricky thing, isn't it?" Sapnap mused, giving him an odd look.

"Right," Dream agreed, careful to wipe his face clean of any emotion. "It is."

***

Dream headed towards the archery range. It was a small field with a few simple targets set up at the end, positioned at different distances to hopefully provide a challenge.

He looked over the bows carefully, eventually picking the very first one he had seen. He would've preferred to carve his own bow, but he didn't have the time or the luxury of doing that.

Stringing the bow was an easy matter. Dream slung a quiver of arrows over his shoulder, crossing over the strap with his knife, and made his way over to the targets. He planted his feet in the grass, nocked an arrow, and closed one eye for careful aim.

It had been a long time since he had last held a bow in his hands, but he was confident that he retained at least _some_ of his skills. Having a crossbow would've been better, but a bow still worked all the same.

Dream let go of the end of the arrow. It whizzed through the air and sank into the target he had been aiming for, a ring off of center.

He frowned. Maybe he wasn't as good as he thought.

"That's some skill right there," a voice said cheerfully.

Dream glanced over his shoulder. Filens strolled towards him, his hands clasped behind his back. "What do you mean? I missed the center."

"But you hit the target, didn't you?" Filens chuckled. "Half our men can't even accomplish that right now."

"I'd be better with a crossbow."

Filens shook his head. "Unfortunately, we don't have any that I know of. I suppose the king could get a craftsman to make one for you, but it'll take some convincing for just one man."

Dream pulled out another arrow and nocked it. "It's fine. I'll be fine."

The arrow flew towards the target, hitting directly in the center. Dream allowed himself a small smile. He lowered his bow and gazed up the stone walls of the castle, until his eyes fell upon the window of his room.

Now, the only problem would be finding the room of the prince.


	16. Chapter 16

Sapnap glanced around, making sure that there wasn't anybody following him. He crept through the halls with the stealth of a professional ninja.

There were _so many_ halls. It was as if the king _wanted_ people trying to raid the kitchen to get lost in a hopeless maze of corridors with the same couple paintings hanging around. Clearly, the artists who had painted them were seriously lacking in some creativity and motivation at the time.

He peeked around a corner. Nothing. No door with the smell of freshly baked goods wafting out, no signs saying "IT'S RIGHT OVER HERE," no friendly baker dude to help him along his way.

Sapnap clenched his jaw and stepped into a new corridor. His stomach grumbled at him.

"Be quiet," he whispered. "I'm looking, I'm looking."

Hallway after hallway after hallway. Finally, he reached one that ended abruptly at a large wooden door.

Sapnap advanced towards it, frowning slightly. If his sense of direction hadn't been _completely_ ruined by his wanderings throughout the castle, then the room behind the door _should_ be behind the throne room he had stumbled through earlier.

He pushed through the door. Immediately, the scent of pastries and boiled eggs wafted into his nose. His stomach rumbled some more.

A basket of fruits sat in the center of a large wooden island table. Trays of baked bread were set to cool on metal wire shelves on the left wall, next to a large oven.

Sapnap grinned. Finally, he had found the legendary room known as the kitchen. He felt like a lost explorer that had finally discovered the treasure he had been searching for since the beginning of time.

Movement near the bread caught his eye. Sapnap turned towards it automatically and frowned. "George? What are _you_ doing here?"

The prince froze, a chunk of bread still clutched in his hands. "I'm, uh... same reason as you. You're hungry, right?"

Sapnap laughed and sat down next to him. "You have _no idea_ how long it took for me to find this place. _No idea."_

George shrugged and broke off another piece. "I'm amazed that you found your way here though. It's the most out-of-the-way room that I know of."

He offered Sapnap the bit of bread. Sapnap accepted it thankfully and took a bite, finally able to end his hunger.

"How come you didn't just order a servant to get you some food instead of coming here yourself?" he asked curiously.

George blushed. "I would rather make my way over here by myself than get someone else to do it for me."

"You're the _prince._ It's weird to see you raiding a kitchen. People usually expect someone like _me_ to do that."

"...I don't want to be the prince."

Sapnap raised an eyebrow. "You get to live a life of luxury, with whatever you want right at your feet, power in your grasp, and you don't want it?"

"No, I don't," George said firmly. He stared down at the ground. "I don't want the responsibility. I care about this kingdom, but I think that having me as the ruler would ruin everything." He gripped the bread tightly, then tugged off another piece and munched at it slowly. "My father expects me to take over, but I honestly can't. I'll just make everything worse, and I don't want that."

Sapnap finished off his bread and glanced over at the prince. "So, you have a role and you don't want it."

"That's a good way of putting it, yeah."

"So is that why you didn't tell us you were the prince right off the bat?"

George nodded. "But I suppose it didn't matter either way," he said moodily. "Clay figured it out all the same."

"Hey, he's too smart," Sapnap shrugged. "People like us can't keep up with the likes of him."

"I want to get to know him better," George admitted. "Right now I know basically nothing about him, and being around him makes me feel uncomfortable. You two are the first people I've ever recruited, and I feel like I need to connect."

"You don't _need_ to," Sapnap said, "but it would be nice if you did. Actually, I don't know much about Clay either."

The prince sighed. "That's one of the things that made me uncomfortable. I found the two of you together and yet even you don't know him that well."

 _Am I going to tell him about me getting kidnapped by assassins?_ Sapnap thought to himself. _It's so embarrassing, though. And how am I supposed to make him understand if I don't add that crucial fact in?_

"We just met up and headed towards the village with the common goal of becoming knights," Sapnap said. It was the truth, even if it was a very edited version of it.

George furrowed his brow. "How did you know to go to that village in the first place?"

"That was Clay again. He said that it was directly in the path of the castle, and if you came looking for knights, you'd go there." Sapnap paused briefly to let the brilliance of that soak in. "I just realized how smart he is."

"Oh, you _just_ realized?" George asked sarcastically.

Sapnap rolled his eyes. He accepted another piece of bread from George and munched at it, deep in thought. He knew that there was something fishy going on with Dream, but he didn't feel like it was right to confide in that to George. The prince was just as much of a stranger to him as Dream was, if not more. With Dream, they had been together for at least two days without separation.

"Wait, it just hit me that there isn't anybody in here," Sapnap said with a frown.

George smiled sheepishly. "I'm still the prince, I guess. Someone must've tipped off the kitchen staff that I was going to sneak in and steal some food and so they all left to give me some privacy."

"It's kind of awkward, man."

"I guess."

"I thought this was all because you wanted to escape the princely burden."

"Yeah."

Sapnap just shook his head and smirked. The prince was such a softie that Sapnap wanted to mess with him just for fun.

But the only way that he could have opportunities to mess with him was if he protected him first.


	17. Chapter 17

George made his way through the halls back to his room. It was definitely impressive that Sapnap had found his way to the kitchen without any help or experience. George was a professional wanderer of the castle, and yet he was constantly getting lost.

Maybe if he could get back to his room, then he could---

"George?"

His eyes widened as he spun around. "I promise I'm not lost! I'm---"

Clay raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Uh... I didn't _say_ that you were lost."

George smiled weakly. "Right, right, sorry, I overreacted a bit. Um,yeah, what are you doing here?"

The man gazed around him at the stone walls. "I'm exploring. It's nice to go somewhere that you can get completely lost in, only to find your way out again. It's like being reborn."

"Um... sure. You do you."

Clay smiled. _He seems nice enough,_ George thought to himself. _Not very pushy. Calm and level-headed. Adventurous._

"But I have to admit that I'm kind of lost," Clay said. "This castle is a lot bigger than I expected."

He chuckled slightly. There was a hint of uncomfortableness in his voice, which actually made George feel slightly better. It made the guy seem more human, not this strange man that he had met in a village with crazy sword skills.

"I was actually looking for you," he said.

George blinked. "What? _You_ were looking for _me?_ Why?"

"I wanted to ask you some things about this place," Clay explained. "Filens said that knights aren't strategically bright here, but that's not how I do things. I wanted to get to know about this castle, get to know the lay of the land, and understand how things are so that I can use them to my advantage."

"Oh. Then, yeah, I can answer any questions you have."

It surprised him how determined the guy was, and how insistent he was to strive to do his best. George never thought of knights in that sort of light before, but he was glad to have that sort of people in the castle.

Clay nodded at one end of the corridor they were standing in. "So, I just came from that direction. I'm guessing that I've explored maybe a fifth of the place now? It's just _so_ large and there are hallways _everywhere."_

George laughed. "Yeah, it's pretty massive. It's hard living in it as well, honestly. Imagine getting lost in your own home. Can't relate."

They started heading towards George's room. Or at least, where George _thought_ his room should've been located.

Clay followed him through a bunch of paths. George passed by a door that looked exactly identical to all the rest, but then Clay said, "Wait."

George paused. "What?"

"We should go this way," Clay said, turning the knob of the door. "It's faster to reach the throne room through here."

"Oh... really?"

"Yes," the man said, already heading into the room. "Oh, there's another door here. Good."

George trailed after him, dimly wondering how the guy knew the castle better than he did. They headed through the second door, which lead into another hallway.

 _Have I ever been here before?_ George asked himself. _I think I'd remember if I've been here before._

"Here we are," Clay said, turning a corner. George's eyes widened in surprise as he spotted his father sitting on his throne, his own empty one right next to him. His father was wearing a bored look on his face as he read over a stack of paper piled beside him, but he looked up as they walked in.

"George?" the king asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you raiding the kit--- I mean, looking around the place."

"I had a little trouble getting back," George said, fighting to hide his growing blush. "But, uh, Clay helped me."

The king looked over at Clay, who was standing stiffly beside George. "Clay, hm? You're a knight, are you not?"

"I'm training to become one, sir," Clay replied. His voice sounded cool and clipped, despite the fact that he was standing before the most powerful man in the kingdom. _Either he's got a lot of nerve, or he's an idiot,_ George thought. _Please don't let me have recruited an idiot to be a knight._

"That's good," George's father said with a smile. "Having knights that value brain over brawn is a good thing. War is won by tacticians as well as fighters."

Clay nodded respectfully. His eyes were narrowed slightly, observing the king. George frowned at him.

"You should spend more time with this one, George," the king said. "You might pick up a thing or two from him."

George managed a smile. "Of course, there are many things I can learn. Clay's memory is remarkable, to say the least. He helped me find my way around my own home, and he's only been here for a few days."

"Truly astounding," his father said, looking even more interested in Clay, who didn't seem to be returning his enthusiasm. "You will make a great addition to our ranks."

"Thank you, sir," Clay replied. "I will do my best to protect you and the prince."

He smiled serenely, his cold attitude evaporating so suddenly that George wondered whether he had been imagining it or not.

"Alright, I must continue with my work," the king sighed, turning his attention back to the papers. "George, perhaps you can learn a skill or two in the art of swords from Clay while you're at it to go along with what you've been learning from Filens."

"Right," George mumbled. "Spend time with the knight. Sure. Will do."

He turned to leave, but then Clay's voice called out, "Oh, George, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead," George said, turning around and waiting politely.

"Where's your room located? I get the feeling that you were trying to get back to there, but then we ended up here, so I can't be sure."

George nodded at the hallway he had been heading towards. "It's down there."

Clay nodded thoughtfully. "Oh... so you were going in the opposite direction."

He gave a slight wheezy chuckle, and despite himself, George smiled as well.


	18. Chapter 18

Dream spent a week, then another, training as a knight. He learned more moves with a sword. He improved with a bow. He lamented the fact that he couldn't use a crossbow.

But most of all, he got closer to George and Sapnap. At that point, they were the best friends he had ever had. Sure, they were also the _only_ friends he had ever had, being an assassin and all, but they treated him like an equal, not some god to praise and worship.

Then again, they didn't know the whole truth. If they did... maybe they would treat him differently.

Dream slashed at his opponent. He ducked to the side as their sword sliced past his head, then parried another blow.

"Not bad," he admitted.

His opponent, Sapnap, grinned at him. "I'm improving, aren't I?"

And he was. In two weeks, he had improved so much from the already-talented fighter he was to become Dream's equal. He was having trouble defeating him as easily, that much was certain.

"You've always been good," George said grumpily.

 _"You're_ improving too, George," Dream told him.

He perked up, pretending to be overly happy. "Really? I think I've got my duck duck down, but I haven't used it in battle before so I can't be certain...."

Dream laughed, and the other two joined in with him. It felt nice to actually laugh about something, and Dream had been given that opportunity multiple times in the past week.

"I think we'll be the best knights," Sapnap boasted. "We've practiced so much more than everyone else, and we've only been here for a few weeks."

"Shh, don't say that with Filens around," George said, looking around. "He'll probably tell us to study the ways of the meerkats to learn how to be more humble."

Dream chuckled. "But his obsession with animals is good. Nature came first, and there is much to learn from it."

"Come _on,_ Clay," Sapnap complained. "Don't tell me you're going to become Filens the Second. I don't think I can stand _one_ Filens."

George swatted his arm. "He's a good knight, Sapnap."

"Sure, sure, but he's also a barnyard animal fanatic!"

"There's nothing wrong with being slightly obsessed with animals," Dream said defensively.

"He is more than _slightly_ obsessed. He taught you how to duck like a _duck."_

Sapnap sheathed his sword and folded his arms. The ends of the white headband he wore fluttered in the breeze. It was slightly chilly out, with autumn starting to come around. George was wearing the least, with just a simple blue t-shirt and jeans. Sapnap was wearing a white t-shirt with another baggy black long-sleeves one underneath it, which was probably a lot warmer.

Dream himself was wearing a green hoodie over his usual black clothes and some black jeans. He had gotten so used to using a sword while training that his knife was stored away dejectedly in his drawer, next to his mask.

His mask.... Every time that Dream opened the compartment, it was the first thing that he would see. A reminder of his life, and of what he was actually doing there.

Dream closed his eyes for a second, then opened them again. Sapnap and George were fooling around, pushing each other and joking. He smiled softly.

"It's getting late," George said, glancing up at the sky. "We should probably go get some sleep."

***

Dream never really appreciated the fact that he was a light sleeper until it saved his life.

Naturally, he could wake up at any minute, alert and ready for danger. It was how he had trained himself to be.

The sound of soft footsteps drew him out of his slumber. He opened his eyes blearily, but became immediately alert as the sound of footsteps came closer. By the way they were walking, it was clear that they knew what they were doing. Only a practiced ear like Dream's could hear the steps.

He reached over towards his drawer and opened it, pulling his knife out of its sheath. It was pitch black in his room, which meant that it was probably some time in the dead of night. He could barely see, so instead, he closed his eyes.

Someone entered his room. Dream lay perfectly still in his bed, his hands hidden under the folds of his blanket. He was feeling eerily calm, even to himself, but then again, stuff like this was his forte.

The person in his room was standing right next to him. He could hear their quiet breathing. There was the sound of a knife being drawn, then the sound of said knife whizzing down towards him.

Immediately, Dream rolled to the side. The blade of the knife lodged in the foam of the bed. He lunged forward, his own knife held parallel to his arm, and slashed in a wide arc in the direction of his attacker. There was a grunt, and then a body hit the ground.

Dream opened his eyes and groped around. He found the lantern on his table and the box of matches he had left beside it, then clumsily lit it.

The room was bathed in light. He looked around, blinking at the sudden brightness, then turned his attention down to the body.

The man wore black clothes, clearly to blend into the night. Long leather straps crisscrossed his chest, each holding multiple tiny knives. His head was shaved. Blueish tattoos ran down the side of his neck, disappearing beneath the high collar of his jacket. A line of red ran across his neck where Dream had connected with his knife, effectively killing him in an instant.

Dream tsked under his breath. It was an assassin, probably sent to take his life. But why? Who would dare send someone after _him?_

Neck tattoos. The fastest way for you to be recognized. This guy was an idiot. And yet the man had gotten into the castle, which even _he_ knew was a difficult task.

Either he had outside help, or he was really, _really_ good.

Dream inhaled sharply. Nobody was supposed to know where he was. He didn't tell anyone before he left, and he didn't meet anyone he knew on the journey to the castle. That could only mean....

He set down the lantern, feeling suddenly dizzy.

_Peligro._


	19. Chapter 19

Sapnap couldn't help but notice how tense Dream was the next morning.

He slid into the spot next to him at the long table where all the knights ate and frowned. "Are you okay dude? You look like someone's going to jump you at any moment."

"Exactly right," Dream said with a wry smile.

"Really?"

"No."

He picked at his food. Sapnap glanced down at the meal, then over towards Filens, then back at Dream. "So then, why is there blood on your hand?"

Dream started, then looked down. "Oh."

"Is that seriously your only response? _'Oh?'"_

"It's nothing," Dream said, returning his attention to his food. "Don't worry about it."

Sapnap scowled at him. "Oh, I'm _definitely_ going to worry about it. Who's blood is it? Is it yours?"

"No."

"Then who's is it?"

"No clue."

"You... are the worst. I hate you."

"Okay, sure."

Sapnap sighed irritably. It felt impossible to hold a decent conversation with Dream, and usually he only got that feeling with George.

"Hey," Dream said suddenly, "it was in self defense, okay?"

"Oh, really? Why would you need to use self defense then?"

Dream didn't reply. Sapnap glowered angrily. "You can't just throw that statement out there and then not elaborate on it! That breaks all the laws of the universe!"

Again, no reply. He huffed and started eating his meal, feeling ticked off. But under layers of annoyance, he was also worried. Dream was acting all casual about it and not saying anything, but Sapnap could tell that something was wrong. He was more jittery and alert than usual, and for the first time in weeks, Sapnap noticed that he was wearing the strap with his knife again.

He looked the same way Sapnap had felt after that attack by the wolves: constantly alert, ready for danger to strike again at any moment. The blood... that must've been from his attacker. And seeing how Dream was still alive, his attacker probably wasn't.

"So, where did you hide the body?"

Dream blinked. "What?"

Sapnap gestured at the blood again. "The body of the person who tried to kill you. Where did you hide it?"

The man stared at Sapnap, and Sapnap stared right back. Dream's stare was lacking its usual intensity. Another sign that something wasn't right.

"In the forest on the left side of the training field," Dream said finally, dropping his gaze. "I figured that nobody would go there, since Filens specifically told us not to."

"And yet you went. When did you even go?"

"Last night." A yawn escaped him. "It was so dark I could barely see. I'm not even that sure where I hid him."

"Wow. Your attacker tried to kill you in cold blood? While you were _sleeping?_ How are you not _dead?"_

Dream shrugged. "I'm a light sleeper."

The way he said it, as if it didn't faze him at all, made Sapnap nervous. He had no doubt that Dream wasn't faking it. Stuff like this was clearly nothing to him. And yet he was still acting tense.

"You think anyone else is going to potentially get murdered?" he asked in a light-hearted voice.

"No," Dream said, stabbing a potato with way too much force. "I was targeted specifically."

"Because you're famous?"

"It doesn't make sense," Dream said suddenly. Sapnap raised an eyebrow. He was finally letting out his frustration.

"What doesn't make sense?" he asked.

Dream glared at his potatoes. "Nobody should be able to _recognize_ me without my mask on, much less find me in the dead on night. And how did they know? It--- it's all just so _impossible."_

Sapnap didn't really understand what was so impossible about it all, but he kept his mouth shut. The way Dream was fuming made him want to inch away from him. If he wasn't careful, he'd probably end up in even worse shape than the potatoes were in.

Dream was a really chill guy... until he wasn't. Then Sapnap wanted to run away.

"I'm sorry," Dream sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I shouldn't be getting you involved in these sorts of things. Forget I said anything."

"I'm not going to forget that some dude attacked my friend and tried to kill him in cold blood, if that's what you mean."

The man flinched almost involuntarily. Sapnap went over his words again, wondering what it was that had triggered the effect. The "kill" part? Dream seemed fine with killing. Maybe it was the "attacked" part. But by the way he said it, he was fine with being attacked, right?

Then again, what sane person would be fine with being _attacked?_

"Don't tell George, okay?" Dream said, another yawn escaping him. "I don't want to worry him."

"But he's the _prince,"_ Sapnap protested.

"Exactly. He might start getting paranoid that someone's going to try and lynch him off in his sleep. I don't think he needs that pressure right now."

"Actually, it sounds like _you_ don't want that pressure."

Dream glared at him, and Sapnap accidentally bit the inside of his cheek. He forced a laugh. "Sorry, man, I was just saying."

"This is for George's sake, okay?" Dream said, stabbing another potato. "Really."

"Okay," Sapnap said. "But I'm worried about you as well."

"Don't be. I'll be fine."

"...If you say so."

"Yes, I say so," Dream huffed. He pushed away his plate, sparing the few potatoes left. "I'm going to go train a bit, take my mind off of things."

 _Oh, no,_ Sapnap thought. _He's trading off stabbing potatoes for stabbing training dummies._

Dream suddenly froze. "Oh...."

Sapnap frowned. "'Oh?' What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"There's only one way they could've come here knowing exactly who I was," Dream said, his green eyes glinting murderously. "Only _you_ would associate my face with my name. Because I _showed_ you."

In an instant, Sapnap understood. His hands clenched in his lap as Dream's next words confirmed his suspicions.

"We were being followed."


	20. Chapter 20

George watched as Filens bent the bow, using his whole body to make the effort possible. He looped the string on the tip of the bow and tied it off, then slackened his grip.

"There," he said, plucking at the taunt string. "This is yours now."

"I think I'm going to focus on swords, sir," George said, giving the bow a nervous look. He half expected the string to give out and lash at him at any moment.

Filens shook his head. "My prince, it is only wise to be learned in both ranged and close-quarter fighting."

Sapnap and Clay appeared at the side, coming from the dining hall. George waved them over in relief. "Guys, tell Filens that I don't need to learn how to use a bow."

"Aw, Gogy doesn't want to pick up a new skill?" Sapnap teased.

"Being able to shoot a bow with accuracy is really useful," Clay said honestly.

Filens smiled broadly at George. "See? Even your friends agree."

The knight handed the bow to him, who accepted it rather reluctantly. As soon as Filens was out of earshot, George turned and frowned at his two friends. "You were supposed to _help_ me," he complained.

Clay shrugged. "Hey, we were just telling you the truth. I use a bow all the time."

"Yeah, that's because you're a warrior _god,"_ George huffed. "I've just gotten used to a sword!"

Sapnap patted him on the shoulder. "You're selling yourself out short. In truth, you're actually getting pretty good with a sword. Another week or two of practice and you'll be just as good --- or better than --- me or Dre--- Clay."

"What was that stumble before his name?" George asked with a laugh.

Clay wasn't smiling. Sapnap looked like he wanted to slap himself.

George chuckled uncomfortably. "Uh... something wrong?"

"It was just my mind stopping for a second," Sapnap mumbled. "Brains do that sometimes, huh."

"Okay...?"

He didn't understand why the mood had suddenly changed from joking to deadly serious, and the shift made him extremely uncomfortable.

"Come here, George," Clay called, heading towards the targets. "I'm going to teach you how to use a bow, and you can't complain."

George sighed and trudged over to the man. Looks like he was going to have to learn how to use a bow no matter what he said.

***

"You've improved fast," Clay noted.

George smiled. His arrow was lodged directly in the center of the target. In the targets right next to his, Sapnap's arrow and Clay's own arrow mirrored his own.

"You're a good teacher," George said.

Clay shrugged. "I've just had lots of practice, that's all. And you're a quick learner."

"What about me?" Sapnap piped up.

"You were always good," Clay said dismissively.

Sapnap grinned at George, who just scowled back at him. But inside, he was proud. He never thought that he'd become good with a bow, and yet there he was, hitting bullseyes with no apparent effort.

"So we're all archers now, huh?" George said, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm an arbalist, but sure." Clay shrugged again.

George plucked his bow and grinned. "I never thought that shooting a stick with feathers on one end and a pointy thing on the other would make me so happy."

"You still prefer swords?" Sapnap asked.

"That's tricky," George mused. "On one hand, I can attack from far away and still be of use, but on the other hand, there are more people who fight with a sword, so I would be able to take out more enemies."

"We're training to fight assassins though, aren't we?" Clay asked with a slight frown.

"We're knights now," George corrected. "Well at least, you two are. Technically I'm still the prince. But still, that means that we need to look into the threats in the future as much as the threats that are here right now."

Clay fingered with the string of his bow. He seemed lost in thought, distracted by something in his head. His expression was stony and impossible to read.

"Clay," George said. "You look like a block of clay. Be more active."

The guy glanced up at him. "Oh... sorry. I was just... preoccupied with something in my head."

George raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He caught Sapnap's eye. The man gave him a slight shake of his head.

"So, um," Sapnap said, in a sorry attempt at conversation, "you guys wanna go scavenge our arrows from wherever they landed at?"

***

George pulled another rouge arrow out of the grass. His first shots had been nothing short of miserable, but after emptying his whole quiver into the land behind the targets, he had finally gotten used to using a bow.

"How many have you guys found?" Clay's voice called from somewhere nearby.

"Eight," George answered.

"Eleven," Sapnap's voice called back.

"Oh, that's pretty close to a full quiver," Clay said, sounding surprised. "George, how many arrows did you shoot again?"

"Two and a half quivers," George mumbled, loud enough that they could hear him so that he wouldn't have to repeat himself, but quiet enough that he could express how embarrassed he was by it.

Sapnap made a strangled sound. _"What?_ George!"

"Hey, I was a noob, okay?"

_"George!"_

_"I know!"_

He could hear Clay's laugh and felt his cheeks redden. A flash of white caught his eye and he pulled another arrow out of the ground where it was lodged with much more force than was probably required.

George looked around, scanning the ground for any more arrows. He had nine, which meant he was still three short of a full quiver. 

His gaze fell on the forest at the edge of the training field. Then he squinted, just to make sure that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

A single knife was stuck up to its hilt in the trunk of a tree, the dried blood on its handle hinting at the dark past that it hid.


	21. Chapter 21

Dream handed the arrows he had foraged to Sapnap, who returned them to their quiver. "Where's George?" he asked, glancing around him.

Sapnap shrugged. "Still looking for arrows, probably."

"You sound miffed."

"I _am."_

They looked up as George stumbled towards them from the far side of the field. He was looking rather pale, and his hands were shaking slightly.

"George?" Dream asked in concern, taking a step towards him. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

The prince trembled. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled, and regained his composure. "I saw a knife."

Dream stiffened. A knife... of course. He had left one of his attacker's knives in the trunk of a tree that night without thinking about the consequences. It had been a quick action, not much thought involved. He had a knife, he didn't need it, it was getting in his way, and so he disposed of it.

Thinking back, he didn't understand why he didn't just toss it into the forest.

"A knife, huh?" Sapnap said. He was eerily calm --- probably since he already knew about what had happened to Dream last night. "In the forest? That's interesting."

"Did you see anything else?" Dream asked cautiously.

George shook his head. "I turned and left right after I saw it."

Sapnap accepted the arrows he was holding out, slipping them into the quiver that was now way too full. He was quiet for a moment, and then he said, "We should go check it out."

Dream narrowed his eyes slightly. It would be bad if they went into the forest and George discovered the body, but at the same time, him being there with them would ensure that he could watch over them, making sure that they didn't find it in the first place.

"You're right," Dream said.

Sapnap blinked. "I am? I mean--- yeah, I am. Come on, George, let's go check out this mysterious knife you're talking about."

***

Dream spotted the knife almost immediately.

 _Stupid, stupid,_ he scolded himself. _You're a trained_ assassin. _How do you make a mistake like this?_

"Oh," Sapnap said, examining the knife. "That's... disturbing."

Dream glanced over at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean...." He gestured at the knife, then the blood, then at the general direction of George.

George was looking even paler than before. Dream sighed and reached over, pulling the knife out of the tree. He tried wiping the blood off with the hem of his sweater before realizing that it was dry and any attempts were in vain.

"It's just a knife, George." His voice was a lot more steely than he had wanted. "Don't worry about it."

"This is why we're training, remember?" Sapnap said in a softer voice. "Calm down."

"Assassins are in the castle," George said, his surprisingly calm despite how freaked out his exterior was. "I have to warn my father."

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why did you_ have _to leave the knife there? ___

__"That's a good idea," Dream lied through gritted teeth. "Should we toss out this knife?"_ _

__"No," George said immediately. "There's blood on it, isn't there? We can try and get a mage over here to test and see if we can track down who it belongs to."_ _

__"What if...." Sapnap hesitated, then continued, "what if the person who's blood is on the knife _isn't_ the assassin?"_ _

__Dream's right eye twitched. "What do you mean?"_ _

__"What if the person is just someone who had a different motive?" Sapnap said, meeting his eyes. "Maybe they were tracking someone else."_ _

___Thank you, Sapnap._ _ _

__But George just shook his head. "Maybe. But I still want to know. And at any rate, how did an enemy get into the castle in the first place?"_ _

__"We should up security," Sapnap agreed._ _

___Nevermind._ _ _

__"Maybe we should wait for someone else to get into the castle," Dream suggested. "Then we'd be able to find out how they did it and change things to make sure that nobody ever does again. Right now, we'd just be shooting blindly into the darkness."_ _

__"You do have a point," George said thoughtfully. "But I think that it would be better to start fortifying as soon as possible."_ _

__"That takes effort too. Why don't we save the effort for _later?"_ Sapnap said._ _

__"No. What if there _isn't_ a later?"_ _

__"But---" Dream began, but George shot him a look._ _

__"I'm the prince, Clay," he snapped. "This is _my_ castle, and this is _my_ decision."_ _

__Dream swallowed back his words. It was the first time since they had started getting friendly that George had played the "prince" card, and during such a crucial matter at that. Sure, he was trying to work things in his favor, but he definitely didn't enjoy having people sneak around at night, trying to kill him. And he was sure that Sapnap was just trying to help as well._ _

__"Do what you want, George," Sapnap said with a shrug. "We're just knights, right? We don't have authority, and above all, we're just here to serve."_ _

__George's pale cheeks regained some color. "I---"_ _

__Dream turned and started heading back. "Wait, Clay!" George called. "Sapnap! Look, I didn't mean it like that!"_ _

__He ignored the prince, slinging his bow and quiver over his shoulder. It was tempting to turn around and shoot an arrow, completing his task once and for all, but that would be acting irrationally. Besides, despite how ticked off he was, the guy was still his friend._ _

___Friend._ He, Dream, the notorious assassin, had a friend._ _

__He walked faster. Sapnap had called him his friend at breakfast. Dream didn't know that it was possible to feel that much guilt all at once. And he wasn't _supposed_ to feel guilty. The word wasn't even supposed to be in his vocabulary._ _

__Dream had finally gained their trust. And surprisingly, it wasn't _him_ that was the one making cracks in it._ _


	22. Chapter 22

Sapnap ground his teeth together in annoyance. "Is he being _serious?_ 'I'm the prince, oh, everything is _my_ decision, you all don't matter one bit.' _Honestly."_

"He probably didn't mean it like that," Dream said.

"Oh, really," Sapnap said sarcastically. "Yeah, he definitely got _that_ across."

He kicked the ground hard and immediately regretted it, feeling a spike of pain run up his foot. _Stupid stone floors. I should've done that outside on the soft grass._

"I've never seen you this mad before," his friend said with an amused look.

"In all fairness, I'm not actually that mad," Sapnap said, turning to face him. "I'm more like... frustrated, that he would just mute us out like that. Honestly, we were just trying to help. It's not like we don't care about him."

Dream fingered with his hoodie strings. "I think... I think I should go and do a perimeter sweep, make sure that there aren't any more people hiding here, plotting to kill one of us."

Sapnap's eyes widened. "What? But if you run into one of them, they'll _kill_ you! That's defeating the whole _point!"_

"It'll be fine," Dream said, completely unconcerned. "Just don't tell anyone, okay?"

"When are you doing it?"

"Tonight."

Sapnap scowled at him. _"Tonight?_ What about _sleep?"_

"What about it?"

"You didn't get any _last_ night. You're going to be a walking, sleep-deprived armor stand!"

Dream chuckled slightly and shook his head. "You can't stop me," he called as he headed up the stone stairs towards his room. "And please, Sapnap, don't try."

***

Sapnap lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He had too much on his mind to fall asleep, but for the first time, he was more preoccupied thinking about things than being annoyed that he was having a restless night.

Dream... if he wasn't careful, he was definitely going to die. Sapnap didn't know whether there were more attackers waiting, but he knew they were out there.

George was the prince. He was definitely going to get targeted at some point. And Dream was famous. He had _already_ been targeted. What's to say that it wouldn't happen again?

_You need to do something. You need to help him._

_He doesn't_ need _your help._

Sapnap turned to his side on his bed and glared at the wall that he couldn't see in the darkness. Dream had made it obvious that he didn't wish to be followed, but Sapnap was _worried._ What if something happened?

_"You can't stop me. And please, Sapnap, don't try."_

His hands clenched into fists. _Don't. Just don't. Stay in bed, try to get some sleep, and stop worrying. Don't get up._

_But... Dream._

_No._

_Yes._

_No._

_Come on, Sapnap._

He opened his eyes and got up, reaching over to light his lantern. Once he could see again, he went over to his window and peeked out.

The moon offered some light, though very faint. Sapnap strained his eyes and squinted into the shadows. _Look, he's not out there. There's no bad guy out there either, so it's all good, right?_

A sudden shift caught his eye. He focused on the spot and saw someone dart across the field, stopping in the middle.

"Oh, no," Sapnap muttered.

Green cloak, black clothes underneath that made him seem eerily bodiless, and a white mask that shown in the dark. Dream.

Sapnap panicked. He gripped the edge of the window tightly and squinted even harder. Dream was looking around, scanning the area, holding a knife in his hand. Because of the mask, he couldn't tell what he was thinking, but Sapnap could tell by his grip on his weapon that he fully excepted someone to jump out and attack him.

_Should I go down after him, or should I not?_

Dream started walking towards the forest. Sapnap set down his lantern on the window. _I don't want to regret my life choices afterwards. I do that enough already._

The guy disappeared behind the trees. _Too late._

In a way though, he was glad to have not been given a reason to follow. He didn't need a mad Dream on his tail. The dude was _scary_ when he was mad.

Sapnap stayed by his window for a good twenty minutes, waiting to see if anyone else appeared. Nobody did. It was perfectly still outside. As far as he could tell, there wasn't a single living thing moving around.

He blew out his lantern and collapsed on his bed, not bothering to put it back on the table. His eyes closed halfway and he turned onto his left side. _I never knew that staring out into the wild would be so tiring._

A creak sounded from somewhere in front of him. _Must be the wind,_ Sapnap thought groggily.

There was a whoosh of air. Sapnap's eyes snapped open and he threw himself backwards, tumbling off of the bed and onto the floor with a loud thud. "What the---" he gasped, raising his hands to block his face.

His attacker lunged forward, their blade extended towards him. Then, suddenly, their body went limp.

The weapon clattered to the ground. Sapnap pressed his back against the cold wall, breathing heavily, as he stared into the masked face of his saver.

"You're welcome," Dream said coolly, sheathing his knife.

"Oh my god."

"Come on."

Sapnap accepted Dream's hand and got to his feet, brushing himself off. "I was just attacked," he said, still unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"I _know,"_ Dream said. "I saved you, remember?"

"Why would _I_ be attacked?" Sapnap wondered out loud. He ran a hand through his hair and frowned. "I'm not... well, I'm not a prince _or_ famous, at least. I don't see why I would be a victim."

Dream pushed up his mask and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Because you're associated with me now," he said irritably. "Now you're a target."

He glared at the ground. Sapnap sat down on his bed and interlaced his fingers. Already, his breath had returned to a steady pace, and his heart wasn't threatening to jump out of his chest. "I saw you outside," he said. "You were in the field, but I didn't see anyone else. I waited for a while, and when I gave up and laid down again, I was attacked."

Dream didn't seem surprised that Sapnap had been watching him. "I must've missed them in the beginning. When I finally saw someone creeping towards the castle, it was way later than I should have."

He looked miserable. Sapnap sighed, then smiled up at him. "Look, Dream, it's okay."

"No, it's not," the man snapped. Sapnap was taken aback by his sudden ferocity. "This _isn't supposed to be happening._ It's not! It's as if he's _trying_ to sabotage me, and if that's the case, then why---"

Dream stopped talking suddenly. Sapnap raised an eyebrow at him. _What's he going on about this time?_

"Forget I said anything," he mumbled. He stooped down and lifted the body from underneath the armpits. "I suppose I'll have to go hide this one as well."

"Don't leave a bloody knife in a tree this time," Sapnap called jokingly as Dream exited his room.

The unhappy look he got back made him immediately regret his words.


	23. Chapter 23

George smiled sheepishly as he spotted Clay and Sapnap walking towards him from across the hall. "Oh, hello. So, um, are we---"

"I was attacked last night," Sapnap interrupted.

"Oh," George blinked. "Uh---"

"And I was attacked the night before," Clay said in a monotonous voice.

"R-really? Why didn't you tell me earli---"

"You said that you were going to reinforce everything," Clay said, "and as soon as possible at that. Apparently it's already becoming too late."

"Okay, okay," George said, his head throbbing painfully. "Okay. Let's go to my father an explain everything."

He started towards the throne room, but Clay said, "Wait, I didn't see the king there when I passed by it. I think he's probably having breakfast."

"Right." George headed in the opposite direction towards the dining room, flushing slightly. Sapnap and Clay followed in silence behind him, making him feel even more uncomfortable than before.

_I'm such a useless prince._

They turned a corner. George pushed through the large wooden doors into the brightly lit room and called, "Father?"

The king glanced up at him, his fork still poised halfway to his mouth. "George? What is it?"

George looked back at Clay uncertainly. The man stepped forward and said, "This castle has been breached."

 _Wow,_ George thought with mild amusement. _How straightforward._

"Breached?" His father's eyes narrowed. "How so?"

"I was attacked last night," Sapnap said. "Clay was attacked the night before, and both of us were nearly killed in cold blood."

The king put down his fork and stroked his beard. "Indeed? Our two newest knights, almost victims in murder. You've been here for not even a month and have already had your lives put in danger without even going on the battlefield."

"That's a nice way to put it," Sapnap muttered.

"We will search the entire castle for any more assassins," the king announced, standing up. "I will take other precautions to make sure that nothing like this happens again."

Clay cleared his throat. "And when will all this happen, sir?"

"As soon as possible."

George winced, thinking of his last conversation with his friends. That had been _his_ answer as well. _Like father, like son._

"Do you have a general idea of when?" Clay pushed on.

"I will notify you," the king replied with a slight frown. "Besides, you and Sapnap will probably be needed in the arrangements."

Sapnap and Clay bowed. George fingered uncomfortably with the rim of his shirt, then blurted out, "Can I be in the arrangements as well, Father?"

Clay stared at him. His father raised an eyebrow. "It's nice that you want to, my son, but it would comfort me knowing that you are safe."

"But this is the whole reason why I wanted to become a knight in the first place!"

"George," the king said sternly. "Don't make this any more difficult for me than it needs to be. I wish to get everything in order with all the necessary preparations and ensure everyone's safety as quickly as possible. You will help, of course, but I will not have you patrolling just yet."

George scowled down at his feet but didn't say anything. He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, George," Sapnap said quietly.

"Clay, stay with me," the king said. "I wish to speak to you and Filens."

Clay frowned slightly and wavered on the spot. "Of course, sir."

George followed Sapnap out of the throne room. As he reached the doors, he threw a backwards look at his father and his friend. His father was leading Clay to a door towards the side, one that George immediately recognized as the strategy room. One he himself had never been in.

But Clay didn't look happy. His hands were clenched by his sides, and he had a blank expression on his face.

"George," Sapnap called, and George turned his gaze away from the scene.

***

Clay rejoined George and Sapnap outside in the field. He seemed tired, worn out, and stressed, but he looked glad to be back with them.

"So it's over?" Sapnap asked.

"For now," Clay sighed.

"What did you guys talk about?" George asked, curious despite himself.

"A schedule for patrolling," Clay said, counting on his fingers, "building more guard towers, and going out to enlist more knights."

"Busy," Sapnap said with a low whistle. "So why talk to _you?"_

Clay shrugged. "He said something about me being tactical," he said with a perfectly straight face. "But honestly, I would've rather stayed with you two."

George knew that he probably should've felt some sort of jealousy that his friend had spent more time with his own father than he himself had, but all he felt was pity. Clay didn't want this. There was no point in pushing it onto him, and there was definitely no point in feeling envy towards it.

"Sapnap, you're going to be in the rotation schedule with me," Clay said suddenly.

"Oh, cool."

"And, George," Clay said, not looking at George at all, "you're in the rotation with us."

George blinked in surprise, then smiled widely. "Really?"

"Yeah, I got you in by ways of persuasion." Clay still wasn't looking at him, but George was too happy to think about it or even care.

"We start tomorrow night, and rotate in a circle of seven," Clay continued. "So once a week, it'll be us and three other groups in the halls. We'll each be patrolling a wing of the castle, though the paths of the groups might interlap a bit."

That surprised George. "What? But there are enough knights that it could be twice a week."

"There has to be people patrolling the walls and fields, as well as standing guard at the towers," the man explained. "There still has to be knights hunting. That sort of thing."

"Right." _How did I not think of that?_

"This'll be great," Sapnap said cheerfully. "Three bros strolling around the hallways of a very large castle, looking out for assassins with no moral code and trying not to die in the process! Sounds like fun."


	24. Chapter 24

Dream tapped lightly on Sapnap's door. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah," came the reply. There was the sound of fabric rustling around, and then Sapnap opened his door and stepped out, looking about as awake as a sloth.

"Oh, good, you've already got your armor on," Dream noted. "Now to go wake up George."

He started heading towards the direction of George's room. "Did you get any sleep?"

"Yeah."

He glanced back at the man. "Is that you're only reply?"

"Yeah."

Dream chuckled to himself and turned a corner. He glanced down the hallways towards the sides. They were empty. Then again, it was a large castle.

They strolled up to the door of George's room. Dream raised a hand and knocked on it twice, then waited. After a minute, it opened, revealing the prince.

"Patrolling time?" George asked nervously.

"Yep," Dream said. He reached over and adjusted the straps on the prince's leather armor. "Your armor is crooked."

"Thanks," George mumbled. His hand wandered towards the hilt of his sword, then returned to his sides. "So, um, we just walk around all night, right?"

"We keep a lookout for any suspicious activity in the halls," Dream corrected. "But yes, we just walk around all night."

Sapnap gave a massive yawn and looked at Dream blearily. "Couldn't we have gotten more time to sleep?"

"Better get used to this," Dream responsed, already beginning to head on the path that Filens had instructed to him. It was a long one that looped around the entire west wing of the castle, which housed all the knights. He had taken the time to memorize the path, as well as the path of the other three groups patrolling at the same times as them. Because it was time.

Time to carry out his plan.

***

Dream lead the group silently, keeping an eye out in the halls. If you thought about it, the person they were supposed to be watching out for was himself, but after the two attacks that had happened, he was feeling very wary.

Peligro was plotting something. He knew it. But _what_ was it that he was plotting? It was him that called on Dream that day and given him his task, but at the same time, it was obvious that Peligro was also trying to sabotage him.

"This is surprisingly easy," George remarked.

"The hard part hasn't come yet," Dream said nonchalantly. _No, but it will come soon._

He let himself fall back slightly, so that he was walking behind the two. Sapnap still looked tired, but less so. George was staring straight ahead, as if expecting an attack to come from the front at any second.

Instead, it was going to come from behind.

Dream pulled out his knife and switched it around so that the blade was adjacent with his arm. Then he reached forward, grabbed George's collar, and pulled the prince towards him.

In one swift movement, he brought up the knife towards George's neck.

_I can't believe I'm doing this._

_I spent a whole month getting close to these two, and now I'm going to betray them. But this isn't anything new. I do this all the time. I'm an_ assassin, _this is literally like my job._

_Ten hundred gold coins._

_But the prince...._

_It's too late._

Suddenly, something stopped the path of his knife. Dream looked up into Sapnap's eyes, his sword the only thing between George's throat and his death.

_So he is awake._

"W-what?" George stumbled back, his eyes huge. "Clay!"

"I'm sorry," Dream said softly.

"I knew it," Sapnap said. Then he raised his voice. "I _knew_ it! I suspected you at first, and I _hated_ myself for that! My own _friend!_ Everything you did made me wonder. And now...."

His fuming made Dream feel even worse. _What is wrong with me? Come on, finish him!_

Dream pushed Sapnap back and lunged at George again. The prince dodged and pulled out his sword, parrying his next blow. "Stop fighting me!" he said incredulously. "What are you _doing?"_

"Didn't you hear Sapnap?" Dream said, taking a step back. "I'm an assassin."

_"What?"_

Dream could see the hurt in the shocked expression on his face. He took another step back, then another, until there was a distance between him and the two.

_It's time._

He took out his mask and slipped it on. Judging from George's immediate gasp, the prince recognized him. "No way," he whispered. "There's no way. It's a fake mask."

For some reason, that made him smile, despite it being too late for anyone to see it. "No, it's quite real."

"But we trusted you!" George blurted out. "We spent a whole _month_ together! We trained together, we did everything together! _You said your name is Clay!"_

"I'm sorry. I lied."

Dream jumped forward and slashed at George. Immediately, Sapnap was there again, parrying the blow just in time to save the prince's life. He gritted his teeth and struck again. He knew he was good. But he also knew that he was holding back.

Sapnap stared at Dream. He knew what was probably going through his mind --- _how did George realize so quickly?_

It was still kind of funny that Sapnap didn't recognize him.

"What...?" George said, still dazed.

"Come on, George!" Sapnap tugged the prince away from Dream. He watched them go for a second, analyzing their route. Then he dashed down the hallway towards the left.

After all the wandering he had done in the past month, he knew the castle better than he knew the village that he used to live in.

Dream sprinted down the length of the hall, then turned another corner and stepped out right in front of them. "Please," he said, the pain in his voice surprising even himself. "Don't make this any harder than it has to be."

Sapnap shot him a dirty look, but there was a tinge of sadness in there as well. He pulled George down another corridor, getting further and further away.

He watched them go, closing his eyes for a second before opening them again. _Yes, go. Go away, far away, away from me. Your killer. Your enemy._

_Go. Run while you still can._


	25. Chapter 25

Sapnap hated the castle's hallways with a burning passion.

He gritted his teeth and led the prince from one room to the next. George was clearly still in shock, and the only reason that he himself wasn't was because some small voice inside of him had been speaking out against Dream all along.

_Dream._

"He's an assassin," George mumbled numbly. "I--- how can this be?"

"I thought he saved me that day," Sapnap said, a tear trickling down his cheek. Hurriedly, he wiped it away. "When I was kidnapped. I thought he saved me, but he didn't. He just led me into a different sort of imprisonment."

"But he _did_ save you, didn't he?" George asked as they went. "You said that he saved you from an assassin two or three days ago, right?"

"He _did."_

At that point, Sapnap was very confused. Dream saved him when it would've been easier to just let him die, and now he was prepared to kill George. What was going on?

"Come on, this way." Sapnap pulled George through another path. To be honest, he had no idea where he was going, but he knew that he had to get as far away from Dream as possible.

They rounded another corner and nearly tripped over a stack of armor laying dejectedly on the ground. Sapnap frowned at it, nudging the pile with his foot. "Wait... this is _Dream's_ armor. Why would he take his armor off?"

Sapnap's ears perked up at the sound of footsteps. George shied away from the general direction of the sound, but Sapnap started heading towards it. "Are you _insane,_ Sapnap?"

"Dream wouldn't let his footsteps be heard," Sapnap said, already rounding the corner.

A second before he turned, he had a fleeting thought: what if Dream was doing it on purpose to make him come closer? What if it was reverse psychology?

But then he saw the three knights and relaxed. "Hey!" he called. "We need help!"

The knight at the front glanced over and frowned at him. "Oh, wait, you're Sapnap, aren't you?"

Sapnap faltered. "Uh... what? How do you know me?"

One of the first knight's friends snorted. "Who _doesn't_ know you? You're, like, _famous_ in the knight community. Amazing with a sword, good fighter, great archer... the list goes on."

"Oh, wow, you're making me feel accomplished."

The first guy shrugged. "So, uh, what do you need help with?"

All his problems came flooding back in a rush, and immediately his adrenaline kicked in again. "You remember Clay, right?"

"Clay?" the third knight mused. "Yeah, I remember him. He's the best warrior I've ever seen; I don't think I could forget _him_ in a hurry."

She chuckled. Sapnap shifted uncomfortably, aware of how little time he had before "Clay" caught up with him and George. "Um, yeah, about him... he's actually an assassin and we're being chased."

"He's _Dream!"_ George said, unable to hold himself back any longer. _"The_ Dream! The most feared assassin ever!"

Maybe it was the fact that Sapnap was still terrified and confused at the same time, but he only pieced it together then. "Oh, so he _isn't_ famous?"

"No," George corrected, "he's _notorious."_

"Is that not the same thing?"

George sighed. He looked like he wanted to grab Sapnap and shake him. "He's a bad guy. And _why are you not freaking out about this?"_

"Oh... I knew his name. I, uh, just didn't know that he was an assassin. Like, c'mon. The first time I met him, he was _saving_ me."

"Trust nobody!"

The other three knights were watching them go back and forth like a tennis match. "So, uh," the second guy said timidly, "do you need our help or not?"

"We do!" George exploded. "Save us from this scarily-talented psychopath!"

The knights stared at them, and Sapnap stared back. _This is it. This is where we see what these people are made of. Whether they are knight quality or not._

"Alright, your Highness," the first guy said, a steely look appearing in his eyes. "We won't let Dre--- _the assassin_ \--- get to you or Sapnap."

It bothered Sapnap that he and George were going to be protected by three individuals too afraid to even speak the assassin's name, but it was good to have at least some protection. He knew firsthand how amazing of a warrior Dream was, and if he had to fight against _that,_ he needed backup.

"Come on, George," Sapnap said, tightening his grip on his sword. "We need to get to your dad."

"My father? Why?"

"Dream is an _assassin,"_ he explained. "Why is he here? Because he wants to kill someone. Who is he gonna kill?"

George's face went pale. "No...."

"Yes, so we're going to the throne room." Sapnap glanced around at the three knights. "Which direction is that again?"

"This way," one of them replied, and started heading down the hall.

Sapnap exhaled and smiled. He couldn't believe that they had actually managed to find others. Everything seemed so much more manageable now. His heart rate was decreasing from the fast pace it had been pumping at, and he even felt as calm as he sounded. If he concentrated hard enough, he could even forget the fact that he was getting chased by an assassin with, like, 200 IQ.

_"Oh George~"_

The group froze. Sapnap recognized that voice immediately. It sounded close, maybe a corridor or two away from them, and though he couldn't hear any footsteps, he had no doubt that Dream was getting closer.

"Oh my god," George said in a quiet voice. Surprisingly, he seemed calmer as well, despite the fact that danger was fast approaching.

_"George! Come here~"_

"We need to go," Sapnap told the three terrified knights firmly. "He's getting closer."

"I think I need to go to the bathroom," one of them whispered.

"Hold it," he snapped, walking down the corridor that had been pointed out to him.

Then, out of nowhere, a knife came whizzing at his face.


	26. Chapter 26

George felt more than just a tiny bit surprised and shocked when the assassin jumped out at them.

There was still confusion in his mind about the man he knew as Clay and the stories he had been told about the assassin named Dream. It still baffled him how the two were one and the same, but he didn't have any time to think about it. He knew that he had to act.

Throughout Sapnap's entire talk with the three knights, George had been racking his brain, trying to figure out how to end the chase in a way that didn't result in him dying. Sapnap seemed surprisingly calm, but he was too busy being calm and collected while talking with the effectively freaked-out knights. It was up to George to come up with something.

Unfortunately.

George had looked around. Useless paintings frowned down at him from the walls. The knight that needed to go to the washroom looked like they _really_ needed to go to the washroom.

Then, he spotted it. A rope hung from the belt of the knight talking to Sapnap, a good sturdy one that looked like it could withstand a lot of damage.

 _But Cla---_ Dream _has a knife._

_What if he didn't?_

_This is a horrible plan._

_It also happens to be the only plan I've got._

So when Dream jumped out and attacked Sapnap, George was ready.

Kind of.

He lunged forward and grabbed the rope from the knight, slinging it across his shoulder. Something whizzed past his head, and Dream's knife narrowly missed his face.

"Get out of the way, George!" Sapnap shouted at him.

"No!" George shouted back. "This is _my_ fight too! I won't sit aside as you put your life at risk to save _me!"_

He tugged out his sword and, as one, he and Sapnap attacked Dream.

After all the training he had done with Filens, Sapnap, and Dream, he thought that he had improved. And he had. He _knew_ he had.

But as he and Sapnap went against Dream, two against one, he was beginning to doubt his skills.

George jabbed at Dream's unprotected right side as Sapnap dueled from his left, but somehow, Dream managed to block his blow and swerve around Sapnap's sword. George ducked as Dream's knife passed by his head, missing by mere centimeters.

"Stop this, Dream!" Sapnap pleaded as he fought the assassin, sword against knife, friend against foe. "Come on, we're _friends!_ You don't have to do this!"

Dream shook his head, parrying the blow. "I must. I've already gotten rid of the king. It's just you now, George."

George went rigid with surprise. "W-what? What do you mean, you got rid of the king?"

The mask looked eerier than ever as Dream said, "I'm sorry, George."

"No, you're lying!" George shouted. He gripped the hilt of his sword tighter than before, so tight that his knuckles were turning white. "You're better than this! I _know_ you are! Please, Clay, you don't have to do this."

At the sound of the name he had used during his stay at the castle, Dream hesitated noticeably. Hope flared up inside of George. _Maybe he's alright. Maybe everything is going to be okay._

Something struck Dream from behind, momentarily distracting him from George. Dream spun around to face the new threat of the three knights, whom had finally come out of their daze and mustered up the courage to face the assassin.

George gaped at the wound on Dream's back. It was long, going from from one shoulder blade to the opposite waist. Blood stained the green hoodie he was wearing, sending a twinge of guilt through George. He knew that Dream loved that hoodie.

A wound like that _had_ to be sapping his strength. But as the assassin dueled against the three knights, there was almost no hint of the pain in him.

_He's probably had worse, being an assassin. But at the same time... that looks bad._

"Let's go, George!" Sapnap tugged on his arm again. George threw one last look back at the four fighting figures and followed him.

***

"Wait," George gasped as they passed by the throne room. He peeked inside and glanced around. Nobody was there. _Was Dream telling the truth after all? No, it can't be._

"Father!" he shouted. "Can you hear me?"

"George?" the reply came. Immediately, George's insides were washed with a warm feeling of relief. He smiled so wide that his cheeks hurt, but he didn't care. His father was alive.

"Sir, you need to go somewhere safe," Sapnap chimed in. "Run now, _right now,_ and hide far beyond the castle with some of the knights, preferably good ones. There's an assassin on the loose!"

They didn't get an answer back, but George knew that his father got the message and was already heading as far away as possible. Replying would only waste time.

"Thank God, now he's safe," George sighed. "It's just us we need to worry about now."

"And all the people in this castle," Sapnap said. "We need to round up all the knights. Maybe if we can outnumber Dream by a lot, we'll be able to take him on."

"But---"

"No buts," Sapnap insisted. "That's our plan, and that's what we're going to do. We're wasting time just standing here arguing. We're still in danger. Clarification, _you're_ still in danger."

George wanted to argue more, but he knew that Sapnap was right. And by the steely look in the warrior's eye, he knew that going along with what he said was probably the best option.

They headed out into the courtyard. Finally, they were out of the maze of corridors. But George knew that they weren't safe yet.

Sapnap picked up a smooth stone from the ground and examined it, then started sharpening his sword. "You remember all those times that we dueled with Dream, right?" he asked George.

George nodded. He remembered those fights all too well, what with Dream defeating him every time and all that. Dream always insisted that George was improving, but he wasn't quite sure of he was just being modest or if he was lying for George's sake.

"We have a general idea of how he fights," Sapnap continued. He handed the stone to George, who accepted it uncertainly. "That's an advantage that other knights don't have, since he only really dueled with us. That means that we're probably the best people to take him on. It all comes down to us, George. We _have_ to succeed. The only other option is death."


	27. Chapter 27

Dream's back ached painfully. He needed to bandage it as soon as possible to stop the blood loss, but unfortunately, "as soon as possible" depended on how much time he was willing to lose chasing George and Sapnap.

He stepped over the bodies on the ground and made his way towards the stairs. At that point, he hardly cared if anyone saw him. George and Sapnap had gotten far enough that they could've be hollering "THERE'S AN ASSASSIN RUNNING RAMPAGE!" for the past twenty minutes and Dream wouldn't have known.

The stair climb was excruciating, but eventually, he had it to his room. Dream fumbled around the drawers until he found the bandages, then took off his sweater and tossed it into his bed. He really did like that hoodie. It was a shame that it was ruined now. Then again, it had such a simple design that there was no doubt he could get one that looked identical and nobody would know the difference.

Dream wrapped the white cloth around his wound. It was a large wound, and probably going to leave a scar. _How did I not see that coming? I should've known. I'm letting my guard down._

He grabbed his hoodie and put it on again. It was still cold outside, and he liked being warm.

_If I was running from an assassin, where would I go?_

_I wouldn't stay inside of the castle, since the assassin probably knows the place better than I do. I wouldn't go somewhere completely full of people, because I'm noble and I don't want innocents to get hurt._

_So I would go to the wide open areas outside._

Dream smiled slightly. George was too predictable. Sapnap was more difficult to guess, but if George was around, Sapnap was sure to follow him.

He slipped out of his room and headed higher up. There was one guard tower at each wing, with pathways through the sky going to the other guard towers along the high walls surrounding the castle. If he got up high enough, he'd be able to spot George and Sapnap easily.

In minutes, he was standing in the tower. The knight that had been there lay unconscious at his feet. It would've been better to simply kill him, but Dream had went the extra route and only rendered the man knocked out. He was still holding himself back.

Dream glanced around and spotted two people at the edge of the forest, one wearing blue and the other in white and black clothes. _George and Sapnap._

They were still a distance away, and even though he was in enemy territory, he felt confident in his abilities to take them down.

 _But--- do I_ want _to?_

_Come off it now, you're not supposed to "want" anything. You're an assassin. Act like it._

Dream took a second to inhale, then exhale again. He closed his eyes. George and Sapnap were good warriors, and Dream would have to try a bit harder if he wanted to take them on at the same time while adrenaline and fear of death coursed through them.

He opened his eyes and ran down the sky path towards the the other guard towers. The knight standing guard barely had the time to turn around before they were on the ground. Dream glanced at the forest again. They were gone, but that didn't matter.

"Quickly," he muttered to himself. "No more hesitating. Once you reach them, you're going to kill them."

_But I didn't even kill the knight._

He kicked the unconscious body a little bit further out of spite, then sighed to himself, looking up to take in his surroundings. There were trees all around, some of them high enough to reach up to where he was. On the other side of the wall, the hills were deserted and lonely. A few other knights paraded along the wall a distance away. They weren't a threat unless Dream stayed any longer.

Dream vaulted over the crenels and grabbed onto the wall as he fell, his fingers gripping the small edge. Then he leapt up onto the tree, clutching the branches tightly.

_Is this close enough to jump down from?_

Dream threw himself off towards the ground, somersaulting to break his fall. He stood up again and surveyed the area. A flash of color caught his eye and he smiled to himself.

His target was near.

He pulled out his knife and headed in that direction. "Oh George~" he called. "George, where are you?"

Dream approached the edge of the forest, making sure to keep his footsteps silent. His eyes swept around.

Immediately, he turned around, his knife raised up to block the attack. He pushed Sapnap back and scowled at him. "A sneak attack? That was lousy."

"Do I care about your opinion?" Sapnap retorted.

George lunged at Dream, his sword in front of him. Dream parried the attack and spun around, aiming for Sapnap. He elbowed him in the ribs and then jabbed his knife backwards, but George ducked under the blow.

"Stay still," Dream growled.

"So that you can kill me?" George shot back. "How about no?"

Dream couldn't get away from them. Every time he tried to get out, George or Sapnap was there, blocking his path.

He gritted his teeth and placed his free hand on the flat of his blade, using it to push against George. The prince stumbled backwards, giving Dream the exit he had been watching for. He stepped past George and dropped down to the ground, bringing his leg in sweeping motion.

"No!" Sapnap threw himself at Dream, his sword held high. Dream tilted his body, avoiding the strike, and struck back. He had to take out Sapnap before George recovered well enough to help.

Sapnap was a good fighter, good enough that fighting him while he was at full strength made Dream slightly nervous. And Sapnap still had his armor. Dream had discarded his to be able to move around quicker, which had cost him a deep wound on his back.

Dream whirled around and brought his knife up in a deadly arch towards Sapnap. The warrior blocked the blade with his own and pushed back, but Dream had had enough. He kicked the sword out of his hand and switched his grip on his knife.He struck the hilt hard against Sapnap's head and the warrior crumpled to the ground.

_Finally._

He turned to George, who was still struggling to get back up onto his feet. Dream stepped over to him and held out his sword, placing the blade at George's throat. Immediately, the prince stopped moving and looked up at him.

"This is it, George," Dream said, a sad smile floating onto his face. "This is the end."


	28. Chapter 28

Sapnap's head hurt. He wanted to curl up in a hole and stay there forever, never coming out to face the world ever again. That would've been nice.

But he couldn't. Because he had a friend to save.

Groggily, he opened his eyes and sat up. His hand fumbled around the ground beside him, blinding feeling for his sword, as he kept his gaze trained on the two figures before him.

"Make it quick, okay?" George said, trying to keep as still as possible. Sapnap's eyes drifted from the prince's face down to the knife held at his throat, then followed the shaft of the blade all the way to the man holding it, then up to the masked face belonging to the man. The sight was eerie --- George looking calm in the face of death, the comical smile on Dream's face portraying a sense of creepiness. It was unsettling, but Sapnap found himself unable to do anything but watch.

"George." Dream's voice was quiet but audible. "You know I don't want to do this, right?"

George smiled slightly. "Are you kidding? Maybe you could try to make that a _little_ bit more obvious, because I'm not really seeing it."

"I really don't," Dream insisted. He dug the edge of the blade a little bit more under George's chin, as if willing himself to drive it forward and kill the prince. "But..."

"You have to," George finished for him. "That's a lame excuse."

The assassin's free hand clenched into a fist. "This task could be it! It could be what sets me for life, or what dooms me forever. This _ha_ s to be the most important thing I'll ever do."

"Decide whether to kill me or not? Well, just do it, then."

Dream's hand trembled slightly. Sapnap wondered vaguely why he was having so much doubt. The guy was an assassin, for crying out loud. Killing people should've been a second nature for him by now.

"You know, your mask is really frightening," George said in a softer voice.

_What?_

Dream must've been feeling the same confusion, because he stayed still. "What do you mean? It's just a smiley face."

"My point exactly!"

"How can something as simple as a smiley face be frightening?"

"The most innocent things are terrifying when they're the face of the person meant to kill you," George lectured. "Ever since my father first told me about the assassin named Dream, I was scared of drawing smiles. All the things I drew just looked sad all the time."

Sapnap didn't know whether to rush over there to save George or to slap him. _"All the things I drew just looked sad all the time"_ would be a horrible thing to have on his tombstone.

"Are you just trying to stall me?" Dream asked.

"Not really, no. I'm just speaking the truth in my last moments to live." George inclined his head towards Sapnap as best he could with a knife at his throat. "I've always hated you."

Sapnap smiled --- a sincere, genuine smile that he never would've thought possible at a time like this. "Same goes to you, Gogy."

He looked back at Dream and was taken aback. A tear appeared at the bottom of the white mask, rolling down his chin. There was blood all over his green sweater, and watching the tear cling there was like watching a murderer cry over his victim.

Which was pretty accurate, if you thought about it.

"A-are you _crying?"_ George asked incredulously. "Dream, of all the things you should be doing right now, crying is _not_ one of them."

"Don't lecture me on how to be an assassin," Dream sniffled. "I'm just getting emotional, okay?"

There was a forced harshness in his voice that made Sapnap forget all about being scared of him and instead made him want to go and give the guy a hug. He'd probably be stabbed if he tried, but still. The man looked like he needed it.

"Come on, Dream, if you're going to do it, then just do it already," George said.

 _Is he_ trying _to get himself killed?_

"Shut up," Dream said half-heartedly.

"Dream."

"No."

Sapnap realized what George was doing --- trying to pester Dream to the point where he just gives up on himself. The prince made it seem like he wanted to die, which was probably even worse to the assassin than having the guy plead for his life.

Was it smart? Probably not. But Sapnap could tell that it was working.

"You don't have to do this," George told Dream. "I've seen a different side of you for the time that I've known you. That side was kind and caring, and that side wouldn't have let anything happen to his friends. What happened?"

"I remembered the reason why I had come here." Dream's voice was clearly harsher now. Panic rose in Sapnap. George's tactic wasn't working.

Sapnap rose to his feet. His head felt like someone was shaking it with the force of a madman, but he didn't fall down again. He spotted his sword just a distance away, lying neglected on the ground. _If I can just grab my sword before Dream tries to stop me, I can save George._

He glanced up around and spotted a knight watching them curiously. Probably, they thought that the three of them were just fooling around. It was already too dark to tell what was really happening, but if Sapnap could make Dream turn around so that his white mask was in full view....

"Dream, watch out!" Sapnap shouted, putting what he hoped was realistic panic into his voice. "Behind you!"

He must've been convincing, because the assassin spun around. The light of the moon reflected off of his mask, making the white seem to almost shine in the dark. Sapnap glanced up eagerly at the knight. Even from far away, he could make out the panic in their face. His plan had worked.

"Sapnap," Dream said in a cold voice, turning his attention towards him. Sapnap's heart dropped somewhere into the depths of his stomach. _And this is where I die._

"Dream," Sapnap said back. "What is it?"

"That was a nasty little trick, Sapnap."

Sapnap managed a smile. "Yeah? Thanks, I tried."

He glanced up again. The knight was gone, but he could see figures moving towards the shadows towards them. _Figures,_ plural. The knight and rounded up some of their friends. Perfect.

George stood up. "Okay, Dream. You had your chance to kill me and you didn't take it. Honestly, thank you, but now it's time for _us_ to be the hunters."


	29. Chapter 29

George pushed Dream, sending him stumbling backwards, giving Sapnap enough time to rush forward and grab his sword. The warrior immediately changed course towards Dream, his sword held at the ready. He was recovering quickly for someone who had literally just been bonked on the head.

He could hear the sound of people approaching. Relief flooded through him. _Backup! Finally._

Sapnap and Dream were still dueling, and this time, George knew that he was supposed to protect his dizzy friend. He grabbed his own sword from where it lay on the ground and attacked Dream as well. A two-versus-one didn't seem fair, but knowing Dream's skill level, a five-versus-one wouldn't have been unequal.

The knights ran towards them, but they were still too far away to do anything. George couldn't see any archers amidst the small group, but that didn't matter. He wouldn't have wanted them to shoot the assassin anyway.

George slung the rope he had taken from one of the knights earlier off of his shoulder, running towards Dream. Sapnap had just smacked his knife away. George jumped up and grabbed the assassin's wrist, squeezing hard, digging his nails into the soft skin. Just as he hoped, Dream dropped the knife in surprise.

Quickly, George kicked the knife away. He tossed the rope to Sapnap, who immediately understood what was happening and grabbed a hold of Dream's other arm. The assassin flipped around, forcing George to loosen his grip.

"Hurry!" George shouted. The knights, who had finally reached them, put on a burst of speed to get to his side and helped him wrestle Dream down. Sapnap tied the rope tight around Dream's wrists, wrapping it back around his chest and midsection, then used his sword to cut off a section to tie into a knot and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Whew," he exhaled. "Wrangling livestock is probably easier than this."

George trembled. Suddenly, his legs felt like jello. All the adrenaline in him rushed out at once, leaving him feeling fragile and terrified. "I--- I can't believe we just did that."

He gazed down at Dream, who looked rather ruffled after what he had just been through. He expected there to be fire in his eyes but instead, he just seemed tired. Like _he_ didn't enjoy what was happening either.

"Good job, George," Sapnap congratulated. "That was quick thinking."

"Sure," George said with a nonchalant shrug. His hands were still shaking, but he hid them behind his back and managed a smile. "But I couldn't have done it without you."

"Quit being modest, George, it doesn't suit you."

George laughed and turned to the knights. "I want you guys to take him up to the dungeons. One of you should go alert my father as well."

As soon as the words left his mouth, realization hit him. His father... he was probably still out there somewhere, and George had no idea where he was. It would take a while to locate him.

The knights bowed wordlessly and started dragging Dream away. George watched them go for a while, then turned to Sapnap. "What is it?"

"What?"

"You look confused."

"Oh." Sapnap scratched his head. "Yeah, about that... why are the dungeons _up?"_

"Oh, that." George laughed, which was a pretty good alternative to running for his life from his so-called friend. "Yeah, we keep the dungeons on the second-highest floor because we use the lowest floor for storage to keep things dry and cool."

"But can't prisoners just jump out the window or something and kill themselves?"

George shrugged. "If they feel the need to end their lives, that is their decision."

"...Wow."

Personally, he thought it was a fair and just system. He had been the one to suggest it to his father, and even though the king's reaction was the same as Sapnap's was now, his suggestion had still went through.

"Mmm..." Sapnap murmured.

George frowned at him. "Yeah?"

"I'm in the mood for some kitchen raiding. Wanna come?"

***

George stopped in front of the stairs leading up to the dungeon. "It's been a full day," he said nervously. "Do you think he's okay?"

Sapnap scowled at him. "George, he tried to _kill_ you!"

"Yeah, but he didn't succeed, right?"

"He said he killed your dad but he was _lying!"_

"My father is okay, and that's all that matters!"

"You can't be considerate towards him like this."

"Yes, I can!"

"You don't have to be."

"He was my friend," George said. "I can't forget that."

"I wish we could," Sapnap said quietly.

_He said "we" that time._

Sapnap sighed and started heading up the stairs, stopping halfway and glancing back at George. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah," George said, a smile surfacing on his face. "Yeah, I'm coming."

He hurried up the stairs after Sapnap. The stairs stopped in the middle of a large circular room with multiple smaller rooms around the perimeter. They didn't keep prisoners that often, and when they did they had max security.

Apart from the fact that it was a dungeon, the place actually looked pretty nice. It was at the very top of the south wing of the castle, so the roof was curved upwards with a point. There were iron bars going all the way up with the glass, making the whole place more brightly lit and welcoming than a dungeon probably should've been.

"Wow," Sapnap said, blinking in the bright sunlight. "This feels like a birdcage."

George looked around him. "Yeah, you're right. Huh. I never noticed that before."

"And do you come up here often?"

"...No."

They headed towards the room directly in front of him. George clenched his jaw and steeled his nerves. As they got closer, he could make out the figure of Dream in the shadows, right at the back of the circular cell.

His heart skipped a beat. "Do you want to back out?" Sapnap whispered to him.

"What's there to back out of?" George said with a sigh.

He stepped forward and placed a hand on the bars. "Clay?"

"Didn't you hear?" Dream's soft voice came from in the dark. "It's Dream, actually."

George clenched his fists. "Right. You, the assassin feared by all. You, the man with no mercy. You, the nightmare they call Dream."

_You, the person I thought was my friend._


	30. Chapter 30

Dream watched George and Sapnap as they stared at him. They looked sad, angry even, but not all that anger was directed at him.

_You, the nightmare they call Dream._

Yes, he was a nightmare. A nightmare to all those who got on the wrong side of someone with a lot of influence. A nightmare to all the kingdoms, not just the one with a prince named George.

"Why did you try to kill George?" Sapnap asked.

Dream shrugged. "Isn't it obvious? I'm an _assassin;_ it's basically my job."

"Yeah, but who hired you?" he pushed on.

At that, Dream hesitated. He didn't see why he couldn't say the person who employed him, but he couldn't see any good coming out of that either. "You wouldn't know him, Sapnap."

"Try me."

"Fine. It was a man named Peligro."

Sapnap blinked, then looked away. "Yeah, I don't know him."

"I do," George said softly. "My father mentioned him before. He's like the shadowy dark lord of everything, operating from behind, never doing the dirty work himself. So you're his underdog, then."

Dream scowled. "No, I'm not. It's called _employment,_ George; it's how people get jobs."

"You have a horrible job," Sapnap pointed out.

"I know. Thank you."

It felt weird for them to be chatting like they usually did after everything that had happened the day before. And now, instead of Dream being an equal among them, he was locked away behind iron bars, separated from his friends.

"You said that my father was dead," George recalled. "And then, when you were going to kill me, you were _crying._ Where did that come from?"

Dream lowered his head. The lie had been to lower moral, but the tears later on had been real. They had been for George, for everything that Dream had cared for during his stay at the castle.

He didn't want to kill him. Not now, not ever.

"C-can you take off the mask?" George asked suddenly.

"Why?" Dream asked with a frown.

George shrugged. "It's just that... I still can't believe that you're really him. Clay, I mean. I've heard so many stories about you and all the bad things that you have done, all the people that you have killed, but in a way, I still can't connect the two of you together. How come they didn't take the mask away?"

"I think they were too scared to come close to me," Dream admitted.

Sapnap chuckled. "Scared of the man wrapped in lengths of rope, no weapon in sight, and completely and utterly defeated? George, you need to find some better knights, you know."

"Hey, they're trying," George snapped. He glanced over at Dream. "So...?"

Dream sighed. He really didn't want to, but George and Sapnap already knew what he looked like without his mask. There wasn't any point in keeping it on.

He raised a hand up and lifted his mask away, placing it beside him on the stone ground. The smiley-face painted on the smooth white surface gazed up at him. It looked way too harmless to be the symbol of an assassin.

George stared at him, as if unable to believe what his eyes were seeing, even after what had happened the night before. "Oh," he said, somewhat disappointingly. "And here I was, hoping that all of this was just a bad dream." He cringed slightly. "I can't even say your name now without feeling awkward. And your name is such a common word as well."

Dream laughed. "Yeah, I know. It's weird, huh?"

George smiled. It made Dream feel good to be able to make the prince smile again, even after everything he had done to him. But almost immediately, the smile disappeared.

"Is your cell comfortable?" he asked, avoiding his gaze.

Dream patted the ground around him. "Well, it's the first cell I've ever been in, so I don't have a lot to compare against."

Sapnap reached forward and gripped a bar of the cell tightly. "Wait, what? How is this the _first ever_ cell you've been in?"

"I've never let myself be caught before," Dream said with a shrug. "And nobody's ever had the skill to catch me either."

 _"We_ caught you," George said.

Dream smirked. "That's because I _let_ you catch me."

Sapnap raised his hands in a _stop everything_ gesture. "You 'let us' catch you? Why the heck would you do _that?_ Is your ego really that big?"

His smirk faded. "No, actually. I just..." Dream stared down at his hands. "I couldn't bring myself... to...."

_I couldn't bring myself to kill my friend._

And it wasn't like he didn't have the skills. When George and Sapnap had rushed at him with the cavalry, Dream could've taken them all on and come out only mildly winded. In fact, he had no doubt that he could get out of the cell currently holding him, even if all of the knights in the castle charged at him at once.

Well... maybe not _all_ of the knights.

"Dream, do you need anything?" Sapnap asked quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno, maybe a blanket or something?"

Dream gave a dry laugh. "I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to treat prisoners this nicely, Sapnap."

He ran a hand through his ruffled hair and gazed out through the bars. If he was being honest, the place was pretty nice. Definitely the nicest place in the whole castle, which was sad, seeing how it was the dungeon.

"You saved me," Sapnap said to Dream. "Why?"

Dream shrugged for the second time. "Because I didn't want you to die, that's why."

The two of them stayed quiet. Dream stared at them for a while, then averted his gaze. He failed his task, but technically, it wasn't over. He could still get his targets. He knew that he could find the king, and George was right in front of---

_No. Stop it. He's your friend._

His hands clenched tightly. George must've noticed, because he gave a sigh and smiled gently. "Dream, I think you're okay."

That surprised him. "You do remember me trying to kill you, right?"

George's smile wavered. "Er... yeah, I remember. But I don't think you have the heart to actually do it. You _care,_ Dream."

They stared at each other. "Maybe I do care," Dream said. "You're right."

Sapnap looked back and forth between them and smiled broadly. "Aw, look at us, all getting along together. Maybe you're not so bad, Dream. Sure, you lied to me and everything, but then you saved me. Sure, you tried to kill George, but then you held back."

"It's kind of confusing, actually," George agreed.

"You should figure it out, dude," Sapnap said. "Either you kill us, or you don't. Either you're an assassin, or you're not."

Dream stood up and stepped forward, placing his hand on the bars next to Sapnap's. "Maybe you're right. It's time for me to reevaluate."

Then he reached through and grabbed Sapnap's sword. Sapnap's eyes widened in surprise, but it was too late. He had the sword.

"D-Dream," George stammered. "What are you doing?"

Dream tilted his head to one side. "Step back."

"What?"

But Sapnap understood. He grabbed George's arm and pulled him back from the cell just as Dream slashed the sword. The lock bent under the strength of the blow and clattered to the ground.

Dream pushed gently and the cell gates swung open. He smiled at the confused looks on his friends' faces --- _friends,_ because they _were_ his friends. Nothing could change that.

"Come on," he said. "We're going to find Peligro, and we're going to make him _pay."_


	31. Chapter 31

Sapnap wandered through the village. Nothing much had changed since his last visit. Everything was the same, from the ignorant villagers to the stands selling fruit nearby.

Everything in the village was the same, but Sapnap himself had changed more than anything.

He ran a hand through his black hair and glanced around. No sign of a shady evil mastermind hanging around, buying oranges and acting extremely suspicious.

Sapnap gave a mighty sigh. "Why couldn't this be so much _easier_ if he just appeared _right now?"_

"Who are you talking to, boy?" a tired voice asked irritably.

Sapnap's eyes widened as he looked over at the old man standing behind his fruit stand. "No way, you're still alive?"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean, boy?" he grumbled. "Of _course_ I'm alive!"

"Sorry, sorry," Sapnap mumbled apologetically. "I just... I dunno, it's been a month since I last saw you. I thought a month would be enough."

The old man raised an eyebrow shrewdly. "Enough for _what?_ To get me killed? To hire an assassin and have me lynched in my sleep? Ha! No assassin would even _think_ of working with _you."_

Sapnap shrugged. "Are you sure about that? I met an assassin at the castle, you know, and he's my best friend now."

The man swallowed nervously. "Ah... right, right. So you _did_ get to the castle, then?"

"I did," Sapnap said cheerfully. "I met some people, almost got killed, raided the kitchen a few times, almost got killed again, and here I am."

He smiled. In fact, that was a poor explanation of what had happened. He had been through so much that twenty-one words weren't enough to cover everything. It wasn't enough to follow Sapnap's footsteps as he strolled through the castle, the constant threat of death looming over his head as his friend, an assassin in disguise, walked by his side.

"How are you still wearing the same clothes?" the man asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Hey, I washed them. I just like this outfit."

"You're not hiding any more apples in the folds of that fabric, are you?" He eyed Sapnap's sleeves and cloak suspiciously. "Then again, your movements wouldn't be quick enough to escape _these_ eyes."

If the man had said that the first time Sapnap talked to him all that time ago, before the whole ordeal in the castle had happened, Sapnap would've been extremely offended. But now, he was perfectly calm.

A few near-death experiences will do that to you.

"Hey, have you seen a weird man around these parts?" Sapnap asked.

The old man looked him up and down. "Yeah, I have."

"Not me, you---" He bit back his retort and huffed. "I mean, have you seen someone who looks like they could be the person hiring assassins to kill others?"

The guy shrugged. "No. But if you want to find someone like that, just go to that path over there. I'm sure you had to go through it on your journey to the castle anyway, so you should know it already."

"I did go through there," Sapnap admitted. "And yeah, it's full of assassins, but no hiring guy."

The old man waved a hand. "Where there are assassins, there are people willing to hire them."

He did have a point. Sapnap gazed towards the east. He couldn't see the castle in the distance, but he knew it was over there, and he knew that George was seated in that castle, waiting anxiously for the spies to report back.

"Here you go," Sapnap said, tossing a coin towards the man. This time, instead of it hitting him on the back of his head, the man managed to catch it in his hands.

"And what's this for?" the man asked sourly, though he still slipped the coin into his satchel.

"Oh, it's just payment," Sapnap responded, a sense of déjà vu rocking him. "For the apple."

"What apple?"

Sapnap winked and flicked his wrist, the apple he had palmed right at the beginning of their conversation appearing like magic in his hand. "Your apples are very good, by the way."

The old man stared at him. Sapnap just smiled and turned away, heading towards the west. He wasn't heading on the path that would take him back to the castle. On his way to the village, he had passed by it without stopping. Dream was going to take care of that area. Sapnap's mission was to search around the further regions in case Peligro decided to go far away while his friends searched the area closer to the castle.

_There's no way he got too far away. Everything he has build up is here. In this kingdom, he is like a second king._

_No wonder he wanted to have George and his father killed._

_Must be hard being of royal blood._

Sapnap's cloak swished around his legs as he walked. It was nice to have his cloak flowing down from his shoulders again, knowing that his family house's symbol was stitched into the fabric. He had gone for a more comfortable approach on clothes at the castle, but now that he was traveling again, he had to trade out comfort for reliability and durability.

His hand wandered down to the hilt of his sword. Peligro was out there, and Sapnap was going to find him. _Who cares if he probably has a bunch of nasty people who will obey his every command and probably can kill me very easily? I have an assassin and a prince on my side. What more do I need?_

He was going to make sure that Peligro would regret ever sending Dream after the royal family.


	32. Chapter 32

George clenched his hands in his lap as he stared straight ahead at the entrance of the throne room. Waiting for news had never been so boring before, and he was a _prince._ He was supposed to be _used_ to sitting around for long periods of time with nothing to do.

"Are you alright there, George?" his father asked, glancing over at him from his seat on his own throne. "If you stare any harder, you're going to burn a hole into the ground."

George blinked, then shook his head. "Oh, sorry. I'm just nervous. And bored. And waiting for news to come."

"Just be patient," his father advised.

"I _know_ that," George snapped, which probably wasn't smart, seeing how it was the king he was snapping at. "I just... don't _want_ to be patient."

"Ah... so you're impatient."

"...I don't understand what you're getting at."

His father laughed. "All I'm saying is that everything takes time. Especially work that includes spies. Getting information isn't easy, and if that information isn't supposed to be yours to have, it makes it even more difficult."

George rubbed his knuckles. He knew he was frowning, but he couldn't help it. Waiting for spies to report back made him frown.

"I should've gone myself," he said, still frowning.

The king shook his head. "You wouldn't know to do. Our spies have been specially trained to do this exact thing while _you_ are not. To go yourself would be suicide."

George bit his lower lip in frustration. _Patience._ That was something that he needed but didn't have.

"So... do you mind telling me why you persuaded me to get spies to go after Peligro?" his father said, resting his chin on his propped-up hand. "I believe that, as king, I should get a reason for something like that."

George rolled his eyes and shifted around on his throne uncomfortably. "Well... you know how Clay and Sapnap are out searching as well, right?"

"Er, yes, I know."

"And you already got word that Clay is Dream, right?"

His father sat up straight and stared at George. "Dream, as in _the_ Dream? Assassin Dream?"

"That's the one," George said with a weak chuckle. "Er... that's why I told you to run. The assassin you were running from was Clay. Or, rather, it was Dream."

The king sighed. "Ah, that's a pity. He was such a good knight. How did you manage to not get yourself killed?"

"I... I'm not sure, actually. I think it's because I _befriended_ him."

The king smiled. "Ah, friendship. How nice."

"How cringe-worthy."

"It saved you and you're still cringing at it? Love and friendship, as weak as those two things might sound, are actually rather powerful."

"Did you just _wink_ at me?"

His father winked again. "Perhaps."

"You just said 'perhaps' while you winked _again."_

"Mhmm."

"Dream was hired by Peligro," George said, deciding to ignore his father's winks and talks about the usefulness of friendship. "We have decided to go after him, and that's what we're trying to do."

He winced slightly and waited for his father to tell him off and scold him about not running the idea through him first, but instead the king started laughing.

George waited for a minute to see if he'd stop or not, but he just kept on going. "Uh... what's so funny, Father?"

"Oh, nothing," his father chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye. "It's just that... you're so independent now. Doing dangerous stuff without me telling you that it's stupid. That's such a fatherly line, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. Good job."

The king smiled broadly at him. George couldn't fathom how he could be so calm about Clay being Dream, but he guessed that it was probably the fact that both of them were still alive that made none of that matter.

Every time he looked at his father, his chest tightened painfully. He remembered that horrible feeling when Dream told him that the king was dead, and how he had believed it. He was grateful that Dream hadn't killed him and he recognized the assassin as his friend, but it made him feel a bit of hatred as well.

"You should go and search as well," the king suggested.

George stared at him. "Are you _serious?_ You're always telling me to stay safe and out of the way!"

His father scratched his beard. "Yes... but you've proven that you can do just as well independently. I don't regret holding you back, since it was better for you then, but now I think...."

He trailed off, deep in thought. George smiled as he looked over at him. Only after he thought he had lost him that he realized how impossible it would be to live without his father.

He also realized how lucky he was that he befriended the assassin who was supposed to kill him. If it wasn't for that, he and his father would probably be dead.

George scowled at the entrance again. "Maybe I should become a spy."

"That's not your brightest idea, George," his father said.

"Then what else could I be?" George complained.

"A prince?"

George opened his mouth to complain, but then realized that there was nothing for him to complain about. Before, he absolutely despised the idea of being a prince --- the idea of all the responsibility and power and innocents depending on him was horrifying.

But now? He wasn't exactly sure what had changed his opinion. Maybe it was how close he had came to death. Or maybe it was when he realized that being a prince wasn't easy, and if he gave up that responsibility, it would only end up being handed to someone else. He didn't want to ruin someone's life like that.

And there were ups to being a prince as well. George could get anything he wanted, as long as it was reasonable. He could do anything he wanted. He could take on an assassin because he had backup and training. Anything reasonable, you could get through hard work and effort as well.

Being a prince wasn't that much different from being a commoner. In the end, everyone was still fighting for the same thing: to be able to live as peacefully and happily as possible, no matter how that peace and prosperity was achieved.

George wasn't going to let life be handed to him so easily. He was going to _work_ for it.

Maybe it was his destiny to rebel against fate.


	33. Chapter 33

Dream walked along the sidelines of the arena. It was empty, deserted, barren, whichever adjective you wanted to use to describe the place.

The last time he had been here, he was a completely different person. Before, he had been completely confident in his abilities as an assassin. He knew that he was a better fighter than most of the people around him. He knew that he would stop at nothing to get his task done.

He had been the best of the best. No matter who his target was, no matter how far away, he would get them.

At least, that was what it had been. Before George happened.

Semi-consciously, he glanced down at his hand. Instead of uncomfortable bandages, all he saw was smooth skin. All healed.

Dream made his way down to the arena. By the looks of it, it had been recently used. He had seen a lot of people milling around the camp when he arrived, so that was no surprise.

Everyone had made way for him, same as they usually did, nobody asking any questions about where he had been. They didn't know what he had been through, or how much he had changed.

 _I wonder how Sapnap is doing,_ he mused as he glanced around to see if there was anyone around. _And George, too._

He wasn't too worried about either, though. Sapnap was a really good warrior, and George had improved a lot since the first time Dream had met him.

As long as they didn't do anything stupid....

_Why am I thinking about them like this? Why am I worrying?_

_No, stop. This is fine. They're your friends._

Dream sat down on the ground and put his hands up to his head. All his thoughts clashed together in a swirling storm, whirling around him angrily. _George and Sapnap are my friends. George isn't your target anymore. It's natural to worry about people that you care about._

He stood up again. "Come _on,_ Dream," he muttered to himself. "You're here for a reason --- quit getting all distracted."

The last place he had seen Peligro was in the field of boulders. He was sure that his base was somewhere nearby, and though he had never taken the time to look around for it, he was going to this time.

It was easy enough getting back to the field. Dream weaved in between the large rocks, making his way to the biggest one at the very center. He gripped the rough surface tightly and hefted himself up onto it, standing up on the top. It was high enough that he could see the entire field, but he couldn't see anything suspicious in the distance.

His mind flashed back to the last time he had stood in that field.

_"I have a very important task for you, Dream. One that I only entrust to the best of the best. That means you."_

Peligro had entrusted an important task to Dream, but Dream was sure that it was Peligro who had sent assassins after him to mess him up.

But _why?_

If Dream wasn't as good of a warrior as he was, there was no doubt that he would've been dead. And why send an assassin after Sapnap as well? If Sapnap had died, it would've been easy tracing the death to Dream.

Dream sat down on the boulder and frowned. _What would Peligro gain if I died?_ He'd need to find someone else to finish the task, since there was no way that Peligro would kill the royal family himself.

But... if Dream died, Peligro would lose a valuable helper. However, if Dream died, then Peligro would have one less adversary to worry about.

He gritted his teeth. Peligro never meant for Dream to succeed. If he did, it would be beneficial, but in the end, he, too, was supposed to die.

_That bastard._

_So this was all in his master plan. Either I kill the royal family then die, or someone kills me, then kills the royal family later._

_This doesn't make any sense._

Dream rubbed the bridge of his nose. Nothing made any sense anymore. Peligro wanted him dead, but he also needed him to do his dirty work for him. So why try to kill him?

_"I'm gathering up people as we speak, to cause a ruse and distract the king. That is all I will do."_

_A distraction._

_The only distraction I got was Sapnap, and I didn't even end up playing him as a distraction to my advantage. He became a distraction for_ me.

But Peligro _did_ have a distraction to use. And as Dream thought about it, it made more and more sense to him. _He_ was the distraction. He distracted the prince and a majority of the knights, and the time before and after his attack, he distracted the entire castle.

A day and a half. Plenty of time for Peligro to work his mischief.

Dream gritted his teeth and pounded his fist down on the rock. He couldn't _believe_ that he had been used by Peligro against his will without even knowing it.

So what was Peligro doing then? What did he need that extra time for?

It felt like his whole world was threatening to break down around him. Nothing made sense, and one possible chance led to a whole new world of confusion and possibilities.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. All he needed to do was calm down and get his thoughts straight. _Calm down? How do I calm down? I---_

_Friends. Right, friends are calming. Well, most of the time._

His mind flashed back to a story Sapnap had told him before. It was just a short anecdote of something that had happened just the day before the two of them had met. Something about an old man and a fruit stand? It was the thing that the man said that stuck with Dream.

_"Your line of fate is tangled. Bad things will happen."_

Sapnap had laughed about it when he had told the story, but Dream knew better. And now, he knew what the old man had meant.

Bad things _already_ happened, and they would continue to happen. That was for certain.

For the tangled part... the man was right. The fates of Sapnap, George, and Dream were stuck together. Tangled. Enmeshed. Intermixed. Whatver you wanted to call it.

Interweaved. Linked.

Entwined.


	34. Happy The End

Interesting how fast one can finish writing a book when they put their mind to it.

That's me. I'm done the book.

I thought that, well, since I'm _finished_ and all that jazz, I'd add some interesting things in because why not? This also doubles as a confirmation that _yes,_ the book is finally over.

This is the very first time I've ever published a book on ao3, and let me say, this has definitely been a learning experience. Since I wrote this story on wattpad, I had to transfer everything over to here. And then I had to transfer the italics and stuff over with that "< i >" thingy, _while_ having to update book two.

I originally had planned for this book to only have thirty chapters. I was literally writing the last one when I glanced over at the comments and one person in particular made me rethink everything I had done. Actually, people's comments still make me rethink everything that I've done. So now we've got three extra chapters. Yay.

Since apparently I can't focus all of my attention onto one thing for extended periods of time, I had a bunch of videos playing as I was writing this story. Stuff like Ultimate Tag, Love or Host, and parkour. Maybe it gave me a better feel for the characters? I think I was just bored.

Oh, random tidbit of information: _Peligro_ is Spanish for _danger._

Can this be counted as an au? This has probably been done before, though, and so I guess it wouldn't be very original. I just think it'd be cool to be like "Oh, yeah, that's Inky's Medieval AU design and story line."

I wrote the last three chapters similar to the first three as a sort of deja vu thing, showing them in the same position, only so much has changed and they've been through a whole ordeal and everything is just different. I liked the effect, sue me.

The thing I definitely like the most about this story is that I got to write in the humorous way that is my style. I love being a smart-aleck with my books :D

I saw a lot of books neglecting Sapnap, which I did not appreciate, since I like Sapnap a lot. So I wrote a story that had Sapnap as a main character too, not just as a side character who was just... _there._

That's just one of the sort of "controversies" that I've put in my book. To add onto that, not only is this not a ship story, but it also has a legitimate plot! Ain't that crazy? It's just my way of changing people's views on what fanfiction is I guess. Also, I put the dungeons up instead of down. I don't know why I did that. It just came on an impulse. But that's different, right? And look, nobody important died. I had to restrain myself -_-

So now this book is on ao3. Nice. Actually, at this point I'm about halfway done writing the second book. I gave my readers these options:

**\- A prequel to this one, explaining stuff like how Dream became the feared assassin he is now, what happened to George's mom (because I just realized that he's basically a Disney princess if I don't explain), and Sapnap's wolves incident**

**\- A book on the entire history of the Dream SMP, narrated either completely from Dream and Tommy, or alternating between everyone (I'm not that sure about this one though)**

**\- A sequel to this one, because if I suggest a prequel, I should probably suggest a sequel as well. It'll go into them chasing after Peligro and whatnot (I have no clue what to do for this one)**

**\- A sort of oneshot collection thingy for other mcyts in this au**

**\- An actual oneshot thing of random requests you guys might have**

**\- Any other ideas someone randomly comes up with**

I personally was really excited to do a prequel. But what did they all pick? _Sequel._

I had to pull out a notebook and start trying to figure things out because I was that uncertain.

After lots of thought, I finally figured out what I was going to do:

1\. Never let my readers decide what the next book is going to be ever again

2\. Put my prequel ideas into the sequel so that almost everyone is happy

After gathering up my thoughts, I realized that there's a hella lot of potential in a sequel, perhaps even more than a prequel can give me. So actually, it's a good thing that you all went and basically unanimously voted for a sequel. _Thanks, guys._

Will I ever put the second book on here? Maybe. Doing this is time consuming, and the second book is like a good twenty chapters longer than the first. I'm also planning a third book but shh, that's secret knowledge right now ,':)


	35. Three Forces Empowered

Sapnap was a warrior. He had fought for the king and the prince, honoring generations of his family that had served as well. Loyal to his friends, even if that loyalty would get him killed.

But at the moment, he didn't feel proud of his loyalty at all.

Mostly because he wanted to abandon it.

"Hurry!" the sandy-haired man on his left shouted, waving a hand forward. "We can't outrun them for long. If we can get far enough away that we can climb a tree or something, we should be fine! We just need to keep running!"

As if Sapnap needed that reminder.

The man, Dream, was an assassin, so his survival instincts were strong. He knew what he was doing. But Sapnap had been in the exact situation once before, and it still gave him nightmares. _His_ survival instincts were strong as well. And at the moment, all he wanted to do was drop everything and flee until his legs could carry him no further.

"Tired," the man on his right panted, completely out of breath. The prince's cloak swished behind him as he ran, so obvious and noticeable that Sapnap wanted to tear it off of his shoulders and stuff it into his pocket or something.

 _Please,_ he begged, _please don't let it end this way. I--- I just can't. Not again._

Howls echoed behind him, getting closer and closer by the second. Sapnap put on an added burst of speed, pulling ahead of his two friends. _No, no, no, please, no...._

There were too many of them --- a whole pack, just like last time. And if things happened just like last time, Sapnap doubted that he could get over the trauma.

His chasers were right on their heels. He could hear their low growls, their quick breathes, the sound of their padded paws on the hard ground.

_Wolves._

\---

This is an excerpt from the second book, _Three Forces Empowered_ (don't question the name), and it's actually the very beginning of the very first chapter. Just a taste of what you would find. 

If you want to read Empowered, it's out and updating on my wattpad account (@InkytheGhost). 

Thank you, ao3 community, for reading my book :D I'm sorry for any plot holes that might have appeared and for not really checking in since I'm busy on wattpad. That's a lame excuse, but really, I'm sorry. 

Alright, I suppose this is goodbye.


	36. Chapter 36

It's been a while now, hasn't it?

Well, I'm back! This is just me saying that I will be hopefully cross-post book two, _Three Forces Empowered,_ onto ao3 as well. It's longer than this book, which means that it's going to take a long time. Not to mention that I'm also working on a dnf book and a dsmp one on wattpad. Scary.

I've also decided that I want to publish more stuff on this platform, as well as finally figure out how to use tags haha xD (please help). But I'm already really busy, so again, time is my enemy. But hopefully, I'll be able to get more stuff on here. Apparently ao3 is the better place for fanfics, which makes sense, since wattpad gets a lot of backlash all the time. I still like wattpad (it takes so much more effort to italicise stuff here :I) but I also want to give stuff to the ao3 community.

That's all, I think. 

...this is going to take a while.

:)


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